Minamisōma

is a Japanese city in Fukushima on the island of Honshu.

History
Minamisōma was formed on 1 January 2006 when three neighboring towns were merged in a new city -- Haramachi, Odaka, and Kashima.Japan Geographic Data Center (JGDC), 伊達市（ダテシ） . Retrieved 2013-3-11.

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The tsunami partly covered the city on 11 March 2011. It damaged the city severely. As of 9 April 2011, 400 residents were known to be dead and 1,100 missing.Associated Press, "Eerie quiet reigns in evacuation zone ", The Japan Times, 9 April 2011, p. 4.

Minamisōma is about 25 km north of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Much of the city is in the area near the plant where people should not live. Most people in the city had to leave. About a week after the earthquake, Minamisōma was in the news again as the town's mayor Katsunobu Sakarai complained about orders telling people still near the plant to stay in their homes. He said they had been 'abandoned'.

In mid-summer 2011, tests found radioactive cesium above the legal limit in beef from Minamisōma.

In 2012, plans were made to build solar plants on radiation-contaminated farmlands. "Request made to build solar plant on contaminated farmland,"  Asahi Shimbun, 20 March 2011;  "Japanese Town Hit Hard by Natural and Nuclear Disaster Imagines Renewable Future" at PBS NewsHour . Retrieved 2013-3-11.

In 2013, some critics complained that reports issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) were misleading.  According to some public health experts, the health impact of nuclear fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster is under-estimated."Activists fault WHO on Fukushima radiation," WAtoday (Australia). 12 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-3-11.

References 

 Other websites 

 Minamisōma City website 
 http://www.kokudo.or.jp/marge/c_prefecture.html 
 Nakano Monument 
Response to YouTube video for help:
 Japanese City’s Cry Resonates Around the World - New York Times, April 6, 2011
Rebuilding Minami Soma - October 22, 2011

Category:Cities in Fukushima Prefecture