Town where nobody’s home: Fukushima communities struggling to survive | Environment | The Guardian
▻https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/09/fukushima-communities-struggling
Okuma, on Japan’s east coast, used to host a busy community of 10,500 people. But today the houses stand empty.
The town is empty because it is one of the closest to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station and – seven years after the earthquake and tsunami that triggered a triple meltdown – it remains under evacuation orders with decontamination still not finished.
However, Okuma is not totally deserted. It is patrolled by Jijii Butai, or The Old Man squad. A group of hardy retirees who keep watch over their beloved former home.