Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to move its Fukushima reconstruction headquarters to the town of Tomioka, which is closer to the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, officials said.
The town, which is within 20 km of the plant, is part of the nuclear evacuation zone caused by the plant's triple core meltdown in March 2011. The town plans to start letting residents return in fiscal 2017 after finishing decontamination work.
Tepco believes shifting the Fukushima Revitalization Headquarters to Tomioka will help restore infrastructure in the abandoned town and revitalize the area, the officials said Tuesday.
The move could also spur hiring at a time when the Fukushima No. 2 plant, which Tomioka hosts, can no longer provide many jobs for nearby residents because of the uncertainty surrounding reactor restarts.