Tokyo ( CNN ) -- Japan 's Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday that he will give up his salary until the nuclear crisis in the country is over . He also said he would review the country 's energy policy and consider other energy sources like wind and solar power . Kan said he would give up his prime minister salary which is 1,636,000 yen a month ( $ 20,200 a month ) , but he would still receive his lawmaker 's salary . The prime minister 's announcement comes the same day that about 100 residents , who had been evacuated from an area close to Japan 's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant , were allowed to return home Tuesday for a short visit to gather belongings . After donning protective suits to guard against radiation , the residents where allowed to go to their homes in the village of Kawauchi , officials said . They were only allowed one small bag and could stay in their homes for two hours . For some , this was the first time they had been home since April 22 when the Japanese government issued the mandatory evacuation from a 20-kilometer area around the nuclear plant . `` I left my medicine even though I have a chronic illness . I need to get it , '' a man told Japanese public broadcaster NHK . Also left behind were pets . Residents may be able to go back and get their pets in the near future , officials said . After two hours at their homes , residents were taken to a base to undergo examinations for radioactive substances . Cooling systems at Fukushima Daiichi , about 240 kilometers ( 150 miles ) north of Tokyo , were knocked out by the devastating tsunami that struck Japan 's Pacific coast after a massive earthquake March 11 . The disaster triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl as the cores of reactors 1-3 overheated and spewed huge amounts of radioactive contamination across the surrounding area . The disaster has led to mandatory evacuations of about 78,000 people living within 20 kilometers ( 12.5 miles ) of the plant . People living another 10 kilometers away -- or at least another 60,000 people -- have been ordered to remain sheltered . CNN 's Junko Ogura and Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report .
Naoto Kan says he will give up his premier salary but not his lawmaker 's salary . Kan 's salary is 1,636,000 yen a month ( $ 20,200 a month ) About 100 residents returned to their homes in the evacuation zone for a short visit Tuesday . Residents are allowed to go into the area for two hours .