MOSCOW, October 1 (RIA Novosti) - Japanese authorities have further narrowed down the evacuation zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Kyodo News reported.
The Japanese government lifted the evacuation order for parts of the Kawauchi village in the Fukushima evacuation zone beginning midnight Tuesday, as decontamination efforts have caused radiation levels to drop, according to Kyodo News.
According to Kyodo, a total of 275 people in 139 households are registered as residents in the area where the evacuation order has been lifted.
It is uncertain whether former residents are to return to their homes, amid concerns over radiation levels and change in living conditions, the agency wrote.
In April, another area of the 20-km evacuation zone surrounding the Fukushima plant was deemed safe to live in, as Japanese authorities lifted the evacuation order for a part of Tamura city.
In 2011, the largest nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster took place in Japan. The accident occurred when the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was hit by a 14-meter (46-foot) tsunami, triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
The tsunami caused a meltdown of several of the plant's reactors and a major leakage of radioactive materials. Some 140,000 people were evacuated from settlements near the plant, many of whom have been unable to return to their homes due to high levels of contamination in the area. A complete elimination of its consequences is expected to take up to 40 years.
