Residents Return to Volcano-Struck Japan Island
Date: 03-Feb-05
Country: JAPAN
About 60 people took the first boat back to the island after the government lifted an evacuation order, many speaking of joy mixed with unease about continuing emissions of toxic sulphur dioxide that made the gas masks a necessary precaution.
Volcanic activity has subsided at Mount Oyama, which dominates Miyakejima and has erupted in 1940, 1962 and 1983. A series of eruptions in 2000 spewed rocks and gas thousands of metres into the air, eventually forcing residents from their homes.
Inns, shops and restaurants opened for business ahead of the boat's arrival, while police and local government officials also started work.
About 2,000 of the over 3,000 islanders are expected to return home in the next few months, but some areas of the island are still designated as too dangerous for human habitation, leaving their residents stranded in mainland Japan.
The island's mayor, Norishige Hozumi expressed his determination to restart Miyakejima's once-thriving tourist industry.
"Miyakejima is a tourist attraction, and we want to revive the economy, including new business, with that at the core," he told public broadcaster NHK.