[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 38th meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters at the Prime Minister’s Office.
At the meeting, discussion was held on the draft policy for the dissolution of the preparatory zone for the lifting of evacuation orders in Naraha Town. Following this, there was a report on the progress of the revision of the policy for accelerating Fukushima's reconstruction from the nuclear disaster.

Based on the discussion and report, the Prime Minister said,

“Today, we decided to lift evacuation orders for Naraha Town on September 5. This will be the first lifting of such orders for a municipality where all of the residents were evacuated. This is the first step toward the return of the people of Naraha Town to their home, and we will support Naraha Town even more strongly than before.

In order for people to return home, we must rebuild the industries and livelihoods affected by the disaster. To that end, we will launch a joint team consisting of members from both the public and private sectors on a scale of over 100 people this month, who I instructed to establish a clear path in June working to support the independence of business operators. Centered on the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and working together with Fukushima Prefecture and the business world, that team will swiftly advance coordination toward the establishment of businesses. In order to resolve issues related to the reopening of businesses and farms, the team will undertake individual visits, carry out finely detailed consultations to introduce necessary support policies, and consider other new support policies as well.

The policy on the reconstruction of Fukushima revised in June states that in areas other than zones where the return of residents would be difficult, evacuation orders shall be lifted and people shall be able to return to their homes six years from the accident at the latest, by March 2017. In order to realize this, we must make great progress with the restoration of services connected to infrastructure and people’s lives such as decontamination. I would like the relevant Cabinet members to share issues as they move forward with initiatives, and manage work schedules with the mindset of always thinking about what must be accomplished by what date.”