In Fukushima's wake: A radioactive wasteland
Three years after the Fukushima disaster, many of the communities around the nuclear plant remain uninhabitable.
60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon, pictured here, walks through the town of Tomioka where radiation levels are considered safe enough to visit during the day, but people must leave by 3 p.m.
Three Years Later
In Tomioka, the disaster seems to have stopped time.
Three Years Later
A clock reads 2:46, the moment the magnitude 9 earthquake hit -- the strongest quake in Japan's history.
Three Years Later
Abandoned shops and homes remain vacant in Tomioka, Japan.
Three Years Later
A storefront window -- once advertising a hot meal -- has been left in disarray.
Three Years Later
Old newspapers are dated March 12, 2011 -- the day after the quake and tsunami.
On that morning, the government ordered the people of Tomioka
and other towns near the nuclear plant to evacuate.
Three Years Later
Explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power caused radiation to spread into communities more than 25 miles away.
Three Years Later
In the town of Okuma, more than 11,000 people evacuated never to return. The population today? Zero.
Three Years Later
A multitude of black bags hold radioactive waste as part of a cleanup effort in Okuma, Japan.
Three Years Later
Because of radiation, Norio Kimura, pictured here, can only visit his
former hometown of Okuma 10 times a year for five hours each visit.
In
February, his allotted day came in the middle of a blizzard.
Three Years Later
Volunteers help Kimura dig through the piles of debris left by the tsunami. They wear protective clothing to limit their exposure to radiation.
Three Years Later
Kimura is searching for signs of the daughter he lost to the tsunami, Yuna.
The tsunami also killed his father and wife. One hundred and eleven people perished in Okuma on March 11, 2011. The remains of all but Yuna have been recovered.
Three Years Later
Kimura brings flowers to a small shrine he built to honor his family.
Three Years Later
On each of his 10 visits, Norio Kimura honors his family.
Three Years Later
Kimura visits the cemetery where his ancestors have been laid to rest in Okuma, Japan.
Three Years Later
Kimura honors his ancestors in the family cemetery.
Three Years Later
Today, Norio Kimura -- pictured here visiting the family graveyard -- lives with his eldest daughter, Mayu, in the mountains.
Their home is 2,000 feet above sea level and 180 miles from the Fukushima plant that destroyed their hometown of Okuma.