Nuclear disaster zones to be designated

OKUMA, Japan, March 29 (UPI) -- A Japanese town near the center of the Fukushima nuclear plant devastated by last year's quake tsunami is asking to be designated as a no-entry zone.

The Japanese government plans to reorganize affected areas into three levels based on the amount of nuclear radiation the area received in the 2011 disaster. Seriously contaminated zones are areas where residents are not likely going to be able to return for many years, the Mainichi Daily News reported Thursday.

More than 90 percent of Okuma residents live in areas the national government plans to designate as zones where they are unlikely to be able to return in the near future. The mayor said he wants the entire town to be placed under the long-term no-entry designation to keep the community from being divided.

The designation will also help dictate the amount of compensation residents receive for their homes. The money, which will be paid by Tokyo Electric Power Co., will be allocated according to how long the recipients are forced to live elsewhere.