residents had expressed the desire to also move to Aizuwakamatsu. On 10 December 2012 Ōkuma modified the areas of the town under evacuation orders and permitted residents of select regions of the town to return to their homes. Within the first 19 days 104 residents returned, however other residents of Ōkuma, like some other communities in Fukushima, are "starting to come to terms with a sobering realization: their old homes are probably lost forever, and they must start anew elsewhere." As of 2015, the town is aiming to develop a forested area for living by 2018. The seaside area of the town, which was once heavily populated, will be turned into a nature reserve. In April 2019, parts of Ōkuma were deemed safe from further radiation contamination. The BBC reported that around 50 people were scheduled to move back. Education Ōkuma has three public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education. The operation of all schools remains suspended indefinitely. Transportation Railway JR East – Jōban Line Highway – Ōkuma Interchange International relations – Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, since March 1991 References External links Official Website Towns in Fukushima Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan Environmental disaster ghost towns