Supermarket opens in Fukushima's Namie town

Jul 15, 2019 | News On Japan

Jul 15, 2019 (NHK) - A supermarket has opened in the town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, which was devastated by the nuclear disaster in 2011. It is the first supermarket to operate in the town since the accident. Evacuation orders were partially lifted two years ago.

Major supermarket chain Aeon opened the new outlet in Namie Town on Sunday, drawing many shoppers.

The town now has just over 1,000 residents. That is about five percent of the population before the disaster.

The store stocked items including sake produced by a brewer who was forced to relocate because of the disaster, as well as seafood hauled in at a port nearby.

One shopper said she used to have to travel more than 30 minutes for shopping, and if she bought ice cream it melted on the way home.

Store manager Shunsuke Nihongi said he hopes to support those who have returned to the town and will choose the stock according to their requests.

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