Ten years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disaster and subsequent nuclear accident, roads and other public infrastructure in devastated areas of northeastern Japan have been restored, houses rebuilt and new commercial centers created. Reconstruction appears to be on track.
But some local residents and others who have witnessed the changes to Fukushima Prefecture, one of the hardest-hit areas, worry about the future and especially what will become of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and its surroundings.
Tokyo-based author Ichie Watanabe has watched the transformation of Fukushima since 2011. Having visited there almost every month since the catastrophe, she believes the reality on the ground does not match the view held by those across the rest of Japan.