SENDAI, Japan - Efforts to preserve buildings damaged by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and open them to the public are gaining traction, as residents seek to pass on the memory of the unprecedented damage caused by the accident.
But restrictions on entry and other obstacles mean making the sites freely accessible to visitors remains a challenge.
A magnitude-9.0 earthquake and the massive tsunami that followed struck northeastern Japan shortly before 3 p.m. on March 11, 2011.
At the now-closed Kumamachi Elementary School in the town of Okuma, some of the roughly 330 students enrolled there were still at the school when the disaster struck.
Although the tsunami did not reach the school, all students were evacuated following the nuclear accident. Scattered school bags and other school supplies remain in the classrooms.
A group of local residents has continued holding workshops to preserve the school building and the items left behind.
"The nuclear disaster destroyed the foundations of our lives and divided the local community. Preserving these things can show its impact," said Shinya Ishikawa, 25, a graduate of the school, which closed in March 2022.
The Okuma town government launched a panel of residents and experts on June 4 to discuss whether the school should be preserved. It plans to decide on the direction of the effort by the end of the fiscal year.
But major obstacles remain.
The biggest is the school's location inside the interim storage facility for soil removed during decontamination work. The site is also in a difficult-to-return zone, where entry is generally limited to people with ties to the land.
Under the current schedule, final disposal of the removed soil is not expected for another 19 years. Unlike disaster heritage sites in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, opening the school to the public will require extensive coordination.
Cost is another challenge.
The town estimates that at least 1.8 billion yen ($11 million) is needed to renovate the roughly 60-year-old school building for continued use.
Around 2022, residents collected signatures calling for the preservation of the town library, which had become a symbol of the community. However, the town was unable to budget for repairs, and the library was demolished in 2024.
Meanwhile, some privately owned buildings damaged by the disaster have been preserved and opened to visitors.
One example is Matsunaga Kiln in Namie, a studio producing Obori Soma Ware, traditional porcelain made in and around the town.
After animals such as monkeys and wild boars damaged the interior and pottery and other items were left scattered inside the former shop, fourth-generation owner Takeshi Matsunaga, 38, decided to preserve the site.
"I didn't want it to be demolished, making it seem as if nothing had happened here," he said.
He carried out only minimal repairs so visitors could see the site as it was and opened it to the public. Matsunaga plans to use crowdfunding and other means to cover maintenance costs.
According to the Environment Ministry, nearly 19,000 houses and public facilities had been demolished by the end of April in the 11 Fukushima municipalities where evacuation orders were issued after the nuclear accident.
Some buildings have been preserved and opened to visitors, including Namie's Ukedo Elementary School, which suffered extensive tsunami damage.
