[ti:Thousands Who Left Fukushima Face Hardship] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.56]Nearly six years after Noriko Matsumoto and her children [00:07.64]fled Japan's Fukushima area, [00:11.00]they face a new possible hardship: [00:15.12]cuts to government assistance for housing. [00:19.07]People who lived near the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear center feared for their health [00:27.48]after a powerful earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011. [00:37.00]The nuclear center's reactors released high levels of radiation. [00:43.84]It was the worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster [00:50.96]in the Soviet republic of Ukraine in 1986. [00:57.96]Matsumoto is among nearly 27,000 people who left areas [01:05.36]that the government did not identify as required evacuation zones. [01:12.40]Now, the Fukushima local government is preparing to cut [01:18.56]unconditional housing assistance at the end of March. [01:25.16]Many people will face the choice of returning to places they fear are still unsafe [01:33.84]or learning to deal with financial hardship. [01:40.64]"Because both the national and the local governments [01:45.24]say we evacuated 'selfishly,' we're being abandoned. [01:52.04]They say it's our own responsibility," [01:55.76]Matsumoto, who is 55, told reporters, her voice shaking. [02:03.96]"I feel deep anger at their throwing us away." [02:10.32]A local official noted that while the housing assistance ends on March 31, [02:18.60]smaller amounts of aid will still be provided, if needed. [02:24.84]The official spoke on the condition that media not identify the official by name. [02:34.52]At the time of the earthquake, Matsumoto lived with her husband and two daughters [02:41.76]in Koriyama city, about 55 kilometers west of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. [02:51.96]Japanese officials declared a ‘no-go' zone 30 kilometers around the plant, [02:59.68]but Koriyama was outside of that area. [03:05.68]When her younger daughter, then 12, began suffering nosebleeds and diarrhea, [03:13.96]Matsumoto and her children moved to Kanagawa, near Tokyo. [03:21.68]Her husband, who operates a restaurant, stayed behind in Koriyama [03:28.24]to ensure they could make payments on their home loan and other bills. [03:34.76]But, because of travel costs, the family can only meet every one or two months, [03:43.08]and they face social pressure. [03:46.72]"People like us, who have evacuated voluntarily to escape radiation, [03:53.76]have been judged by our peers as if we selfishly evacuated for personal reasons," said Matsumoto. [04:05.04]She feels her only support is housing aid [04:09.72]that the Fukushima government gives to voluntary evacuees, [04:15.60]who numbered 26,601 by October 2016. [04:23.60]The payment is generally about 90,000 yen, or $795, [04:32.40]for a family of two or more in Matsumoto's area, a Fukushima official said. [04:41.60]He added that full rental payments on housing are covered until March 31. [04:50.44]"Things here now are safe, but there are people who are still worried about safety [04:58.56]and we understand that," he said. [05:02.20]The housing assistance will no longer be given to all families. [05:09.20]Instead, officials will consider the needs of individual families. [05:16.28]A city official said radiation levels in Koriyama are now safe, [05:22.96]that they have decreased by time and clean-up efforts. [05:28.56]But areas where radiation is high remain, say activists, and Matsumoto still worries. [05:38.72]"I'm a parent, and so I'll protect my daughter," she said. [05:44.60]"Even if I have to go into debt, I'll keep her safe from radiation." [05:52.84]I'm Alice Bryant. [05:54.96]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM