The village office on Miyake Island opened for business Feb. 1, ready for the lifting later in the day of an evacuation order imposed more than four years ago due to volcanic activity.

"The village will see a historic few days with the lifting of the evacuation order," Vice Mayor Norishige Hozumi told a meeting of some 40 village employees who began work at the temporary office. "Let us unite and work hard to rebuild the lives of the island's residents."

Access to the old village office has been restricted because it is located in an area with a high concentration of volcanic gas.

Twenty-six inns, six shops, four eateries and a barber shop had reopened on the island as of Jan. 31, the village government said.

The Japan Times Weekly: Feb. 5, 2005
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