TEN years after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster , life in the region is finally edging back to normal. Following a colossal campaign to remove contaminated soil and wash down buildings and roads in the area, radiation readings above ground are now stable at safe levels.

There is even a sense of a construction boom, although tens of thousands of people have yet to return after being evacuated a decade ago. “Everything is new,” said one resident. “New is good.”

The most striking new features are concrete sea walls that run northwards for 400 kilometres …