原発避難区域の様子

［つながれたまま死んだ家畜］

Japan Prohibits Access to Nuclear Evacuation Zone | NYTimes.com

TOKYO — After weeks of trying to prevent the Japanese public from panicking about the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the government now has the opposite problem: worries have faded so much that people are slipping back into the evacuation zone.

Yukio Edano, the chief secretary of Japan’s cabinet, said Thursday morning that beginning at midnight, no one would be allowed to enter the 12-mile zone around the reactors without official permission. He made the announcement after residents began returning to retrieve belongings from their homes and as local and foreign journalists began exploring the area.

Japanese Revisit Nuclear Zone While They Can | NYTimes.com

Tadanori and Eiko Watanabe, who live in that outer zone, about 17 miles from the power plant, have done neither. While worried about radiation, they refused to abandon their 16 beef cows. “Our cows are like our family, and we can’t leave them here,” said Ms. Watanabe, as she and her husband carted away manure in wheelbarrows.

Japanese Return to Nuclear Zone Briefly [Slide Show] | NYTimes.com