A woman who lost her family in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami prays in the city of Minamisoma in Fukushima prefecture on May 2, 2011 The tsunami crushed many people's homes in the alert zone
Continue reading the main story
Japan quake

* Six months on: Survivor's story
* Evacuees: Starting again
* New PM visits nuclear plant
* Tokyo Power reports $7.4bn loss

Restrictions on residents living between 20-30km (12-19 miles) from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant will be eased, Japanese officials say.

The government issued an alert to people in the zone to be prepared to evacuate at short notice after the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.

But officials say the alert will be lifted in the coming weeks, as they try to reassure people the area is safe.

The Fukushima crisis is the world's worst nuclear accident in a generation.

Three of the plant's reactors melted down after the tsunami and 9.0-magnitude quake wrecked cooling systems. The Fukushima plant continues to leak radioactive material.

The government has been widely criticised for its handling of the crisis, which revealed serious flaws in the nuclear industry's regulatory systems and safety standards.

Homes and businesses within 20km of the plant were evacuated, while those up to 30km were put on alert for evacuation

Sightline Payments Kirk Sanford
salvia legal