Fukushima Evacuation Zone

Japan evacuated everyone within a 12-mile radius — roughly 154,000 people. Many believed they would be home soon. Over a decade later, large areas remain off-limits and entire towns sit empty, frozen in time since March 2011.

The earthquake and tsunami killed over 18,500 people. The accident itself, however, caused no deaths from acute radiation exposure. The lasting harm has been to mental health: evacuees have shown elevated rates of depression and suicide, and the stress of long-term displacement is linked to thousands of additional deaths.