Nuclear fallout: Futaba in Japan – in pictures

  • Futaba, north-eastern Japan. Until recently, the town, home to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, had been entirely empty of residents since the disaster in March 2011. AP
    Futaba, north-eastern Japan. Until recently, the town, home to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, had been entirely empty of residents since the disaster in March 2011. AP
  • Fast-food restaurant owner Atsuko Yamamoto serves a customer at her shop, Penguin, in the town centre. The area only recently started to undergo reconstruction after the nuclear disaster and earthquake 11 years ago. AP
    Fast-food restaurant owner Atsuko Yamamoto serves a customer at her shop, Penguin, in the town centre. The area only recently started to undergo reconstruction after the nuclear disaster and earthquake 11 years ago. AP
  • A bus driver prepares to run a shuttle service between Futaba train station and a nuclear disaster memorial museum. AP
    A bus driver prepares to run a shuttle service between Futaba train station and a nuclear disaster memorial museum. AP
  • An abandoned shop. Most damaged buildings in Futaba have been torn down in the past 11 years. AP
    An abandoned shop. Most damaged buildings in Futaba have been torn down in the past 11 years. AP
  • A damaged Buddhist temple and a kindergarten lie abandoned. AP
    A damaged Buddhist temple and a kindergarten lie abandoned. AP
  • Heavy-duty machinery sits unattended in the evening beside a building that is set to be torn down. AP
    Heavy-duty machinery sits unattended in the evening beside a building that is set to be torn down. AP
  • The building site of a planned apartment complex in Futaba. A tiny section of the town has reopened for the first time since all 7,000 residents had to flee. AP
    The building site of a planned apartment complex in Futaba. A tiny section of the town has reopened for the first time since all 7,000 residents had to flee. AP
  • A destroyed and abandoned warehouse. NurPhoto via Getty Images
    A destroyed and abandoned warehouse. NurPhoto via Getty Images
  • A dilapidated, empty shop that used to sell cosmetics. NurPhoto via Getty Images
    A dilapidated, empty shop that used to sell cosmetics. NurPhoto via Getty Images
  • An artist creating a mural on an outer wall of the disused fire station in Futaba. NurPhoto via Getty Images
    An artist creating a mural on an outer wall of the disused fire station in Futaba. NurPhoto via Getty Images
  • Abandoned equipment in an overgrown playground. NurPhoto via Getty Images
    Abandoned equipment in an overgrown playground. NurPhoto via Getty Images