J-Village in Fukushima Partially Reopens after 2011 Nuclear Accident

Fukushima, July 29 (Jiji Press)--J-Village, a national soccer center in Fukushima Prefecture, has put some of its facilities back into normal operations after being used as a response base to the March 2011 nuclear accident for over seven years. The operator aims to fully reopen the center in April next year, before members of the Japanese teams for men's and women's soccer in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics start training there. At a ceremony on Saturday, Hajime Moriyasu, Olympic head coach for men who also manages Japan's national team, said he wants to cheer people who have been working hard for the reconstruction of the northeastern prefecture, which was severely damaged by the fallout from the triple meltdown triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. "J-Village's reconstruction means Fukushima's reconstruction," said Japan Football Association head Kozo Tashima. Since its opening on a site straddling the towns of Naraha and Hirono in 1997, J-Village had attracted a total of 6.8 million visitors before the natural and nuclear disasters. Its role as the base for Fukushima No. 1 plant workers ended in March last year. END