JAPAN. Minami Soma. January 11th, 2012.
A checkpoint on the Route 6 near the edge of the 20km no-entry zone in Minami Soma, a city located in the northern coast area of Fukushima Prefecture. 7 o'clock in the morning is the time to work, cars, buses and trucks with heavy equipment enter one after another into the zone. All the policemen working at the checkpoint have travelled from other prefectures, with continuously rotating shifts on a weekly basis.
Minami Soma used to have a population of 72000, before it declines by about over 32000 in the aftermath of the nuclear accident. In April, there were only 15000 in the town. Up to 12000 residents of Minami Soma used to live inside the 20km no-entry zone, and most of them are currently relocated to the temporary housing settlements in the neighbor towns.