Ms Oga Ayako, who evacuated from Okuma Town in Fukushima Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture

Ms. Oga learned of the dangers of nuclear power after the Chernobyl disaster and became involved in the movement against it. While going back and forth to Fukushima, due in part to the accident at the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant, she fell in love with the beauty of the area and decided to move there. “What a wonderful place it would be without nuclear power plants, or even with them,” she thought. She studied agriculture and had an architect friend to build her dream house, made of wood from the nearby Abukuma Mountains. The accident happened just before being able to move into the house. After evacuating to Niigata Prefecture at the end of 2013, Ms. Oga said, “I was so happy that first spring, I felt everything was OK.” That’s how difficult life was after the nuclear accident, even though the evacuation order for parts of Okuma Town was lifted in March 2020. Please listen to Ms. Oga’s story.