Minamisoma, Fukushima
Encyclopedia
is a city located in Fukushima
, Japan
. As of May 1, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 68,745. The city was founded on January 1, 2006, by merging with Haramachi
, Odaka
, and Kashima
.
which resulted from the Tōhoku earthquake
on March 11, 2011, and suffered heavy damage. As of 9 April 2011, 400 residents were confirmed dead, with 1,100 missing.
Minamisōma is about 25 kilometre north of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
, the site of the nuclear accident that followed the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
. Much of the city lies within the mandated evacuation zone near the plant, and thus most of the residents were forced to leave. Approximately a week after the earthquake Minamisōma was in the news again as the town's mayor Katsunobu Sakarai asserts his people have been ‘abandoned’, in the wake of orders for all remaining residents to stay in their homes inside the exclusion zone
around the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
.
In July beef
from Minamisōma was found to be contaminated with radioactive cesium above the legal limit, according to the Daily Yomiuri.http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110709003236.htm
Response to YouTube video for help:
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. As of May 1, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 68,745. The city was founded on January 1, 2006, by merging with Haramachi
Haramachi, Fukushima
was a city located in Fukushima, Japan.On January 1, 2006 Haramachi was merged with the towns of Kashima and Odaka, both from Sōma District, to form the new city of Minamisōma....
, Odaka
Odaka, Fukushima
was a town located in Sōma District, Fukushima, Japan.On January 1, 2006 Odaka was merged with the town of Kashima from Sōma District, and the city of Haramachi to form the new city of Minamisōma....
, and Kashima
Kashima, Fukushima
was a town located in Sōma District, Fukushima, Japan.On January 1, 2006 Kashima was merged with the town of Odaka from Sōma District, and the city of Haramachi to form the new city of Minamisōma....
.
2011 earthquake and tsunami
Minamisōma was partially inundated by the tsunamiTsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
which resulted from the Tōhoku earthquake
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
on March 11, 2011, and suffered heavy damage. As of 9 April 2011, 400 residents were confirmed dead, with 1,100 missing.
Minamisōma is about 25 kilometre north of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
The , also known as Fukushima Dai-ichi , is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a site in the towns of Okuma and Futaba in the Futaba District of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. First commissioned in 1971, the plant consists of six boiling water reactors...
, the site of the nuclear accident that followed the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
. Much of the city lies within the mandated evacuation zone near the plant, and thus most of the residents were forced to leave. Approximately a week after the earthquake Minamisōma was in the news again as the town's mayor Katsunobu Sakarai asserts his people have been ‘abandoned’, in the wake of orders for all remaining residents to stay in their homes inside the exclusion zone
Exclusion zone
An exclusion zone is an area that protesters are legally prohibited from protesting in.Exclusion zones often exist around seats of government and abortion clinics. As a result of protests by the Westboro Baptist Church at the funerals of soldiers killed in the Iraq War, 29 states and the US...
around the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
The , also known as Fukushima Dai-ichi , is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a site in the towns of Okuma and Futaba in the Futaba District of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. First commissioned in 1971, the plant consists of six boiling water reactors...
.
In July beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
from Minamisōma was found to be contaminated with radioactive cesium above the legal limit, according to the Daily Yomiuri.http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110709003236.htm
External links
Response to YouTube video for help:
- Japanese City’s Cry Resonates Around the World - New York Times, April 6, 2011
- Rebuilding Minami Soma - October 22, 2011