3/11 Earthquake 15 Years On [Podcast Episode]

By Barrier Free Japan

March 11 2026

FUKUSHIMA – Many evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture cite anxiety about a lack of medical services as a reason for their hesitation to return to their hometowns devastated by a severe nuclear accident following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. More than half of the population who lived in Futaba just before the triple disaster are still living outside their hometowns, although evacuation orders have been lifted in many places in the county. In Fukushima, the number of medical institutions has plunged since the disaster. Many of the 132 medical facilities that had operated in the prefecture have suspended operations, leaving only 47 currently in service.

Episode notes:

’15 Years On: Medical Care Key to Evacuees’ Return to Fukushima’:

15 Years On: Medical Care Key to Evacuees’ Return to Fukushima