Japan to lift evacuation order in town where Fukushima nuclear plant is located – official

Japan plans to lift an evacuation order next month in one of two towns where the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is located. The government plans to lift the order for part of Okuma town on April 10, cabinet office official Yohei Ogino told AFP. It will be the first time the government has lifted an evacuation order in the towns – Okuma and Futaba – that host the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. In March 2011, a massive tsunami caused by an earthquake slammed into Japan, killing more than 18,000 and setting off the worst nuclear accident in a generation. The government has lifted evacuation orders across much of the region affected by the meltdown, allowing residents to return. Tokyo has pressed an aggressive decontamination program involving removing radioactive topsoil and cleaning affected areas.