Residents of Naraha are returning home after the Japanese government lifted a four-and-a-half year-old evacuation order on Saturday. The town's 7,400 residents had to be evacuated after an earthquake and tsunami caused the Fukushima plant's reactors to enter a triple meltdown in March 2011.

"Our clock started moving again," said Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto during a ceremony held at a children's park. "The lifting of the evacuation order is one key step, but this is just a start."

Naraha, located just 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the plant, was the first out of seven evacuated municipalities to have the order lifted. Japanese officials asserted that radiation levels in Naraha were safe following decontamination efforts.

Despite safety assurances, residents were hesitant to return. A recent government survey showed that 53 percent of Naraha's evacuees were permanently not ready to go home or remained undecided.

Complicated cleanup

In Naraha, train tracks still remained covered with grass, while rats and wild boars ran freely through abandoned houses. The town will remain without a medical clinic until October, and residents rely on grocery delivery services for daily necessities. Personal dosimeters to check radiation levels have been distributed, and the town is running a 24-hour water monitoring program.

"I still feel uneasy about some things, like radiation levels and the lack of a medical facility," said Toshiko Yokota, a 53-year-old homemaker who had to leave her home in 2011. "In order to come back, I have to keep up my hope and stay healthy."

The Japanese government wants to lift all evacuation orders for the area - except for the most highly contaminated parts - by March 2017. The move has been criticized by evacuees, who say the government simply wishes to flaunt Fukushima's recovery before the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Greenpeace, an environmental protection organization, also harshly criticized the Japanese government's unprecedented attempt at a nuclear cleanup. According to Greenpeace' own measurements, the area 30 kilometers (18 miles) around the nuclear plant is still highly radioactive and they strongly advised against residents returning to the region.

rs/se (AP, dpa)