Women along Fukushima's northern coastline have been waiting longer to consult doctors about breast cancer suspicions since March 2011, according to a study by a local doctor.
Ever since the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, the ratio of women seeking consultations more than three months after noticing breast cancer symptoms rose to 29.9 percent, compared with 18.0 percent before the calamity, the study found.
Many who consulted a doctor about symptoms did so only after being encouraged by family members, the study found.