By Riyaz ul Khaliq </p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – Japan began to partially allow on Wednesday residents of a site near the disastrous Fukushima nuclear meltdown of 2011 to return to their homes after they were evacuated in the wake. </p> <p>According to Kyodo news agency, authorities partially lifted a mandatory evacuation order in the town of Okuma, with radiation levels lowered after thorough "decontamination work."</p> <p>On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami damaged four reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, out of which three were melted.</p> <p>The disaster devastated the country's northeastern region where more than 150,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Out of the 150,000, around 100,000 remain evacuees five years later.</p> <p>Okuma once housed roughly 10,000 residents who were evacuated following the fatal nuclear incident. </p> <p>"Despite the decision, a very small number of residents are expected to return to Okuma," Kyodo reported. </p> <p>However, Futaba town — less than five kilometers (three miles) from the nuclear plant — is still a no-go area.
“Lifting the evacuation order is not the final goal. We will strive to restore a habitable environment for the population, ” Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko told a press conference.
