Frozen in time: fukushima’s abandoned towns become wildlife haven 15 years after nuclear disaster

Fifteen years after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the abandoned towns of Japan’s exclusion zone have transformed into an unexpected wildlife sanctuary. Where children once walked to school and families went about their daily lives, only bears, wild boar, and raccoons now roam the empty streets.

At Kumamachi primary school, textbooks still rest on dusty desks, pencil cases lie scattered across classroom floors, and lunch boxes remain exactly where students left them on March 11, 2011. The haunting scene captures the moment when a magnitude-9 earthquake struck, forcing entire communities to flee what would become the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chornobyl. Children’s shoes still line the corridors, marking the hurried evacuation route as families escaped the unfolding crisis.

In the absence of human activity, nature has reclaimed these ghost towns in remarkable ways. Wildlife populations have flourished without hunting pressure or habitat destruction, creating an accidental experiment in rewilding. However, this environmental renaissance faces an uncertain future as Japanese authorities and some former residents push for repopulation efforts.

The question now confronting Fukushima is whether humans and this thriving ecosystem can coexist. As cleanup efforts continue and radiation levels decline in some areas, the debate intensifies over what should happen to these towns that disaster froze in time – preserve them as wildlife corridors or restore them for human habitation.