Miyakoji, Fukushima 1.8

Miyakoji was a village located in Tamura District, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.On March 1, 2005, Miyakoji, along with the towns of Funehiki, Ōgoe, Takine and Tokiwa (all from Tamura District), was merged to create the city of Tamura.The area covered by the former village has been reclassified as a borough (町 "-machi" is often translated "town," but the word "borough," like 町 "-machi," can mean either a division of a city or a town independent of any larger city: see the article on "Borough" for comparable usages) within the City of Tamura.As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 3,175 and a density of 25.33 persons per km². The borough's total area is 125.37 km².LandmarksOhtakadoyayama Transmitter is an LF-time signal transmitter in Miyakoji-machi . It is used for transmitting the time signal JJY on 40 kHz. It uses as transmission antenna a 250 metre tall guyed mast with an umbrella antenna, which is insulated against ground.Evacuation orders lifted Mid August 2013On 23 June 2013 during a meeting with evacuees from the Miyakoji district of Tamura, Fukushima Prefecture and central government officials, the announcement was made that the residents would be allowed to return to their homes mid August 2013, although the radiation levels in residential areas still ranged between 0.32 and 0.54 microsievert per hour, much higher than the government’s goal of 0.23 microsievert per hour. But the decontamination works in the Miyakoji district were declared completed. When asked, the officials refused to prolong the decontamination efforts, they argued that radiation exposures would differ for every person. The 0.23 microsievert per hour limit would lead to an accumulated radiation exposure exceeding 1 millisievert for people that would stay outdoors for eight hours a day. Instead the officials offered the evacuees a new-type dosimeter because they wanted the people to check their own radiation exposures, and in this way to take responsibility for their own safety.