According to the Ukrainian "Kyiv Independent" on the 27th, Japanese police recently arrested three Ukrainian citizens on the grounds of unauthorized access to the ban area around the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant.

According to Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) and local Japanese media reports, the people involved are 34-year-old Anatoly Dibak, 29-year-old vladislav savinov and 43-year-old Oleksandr Krukov. All three are We Media bloggers active on YouTube, a video-sharing site, and Telegram, a social platform, focusing on photographing abandoned or forbidden locations around the world.

Three Ukrainian citizens arrested in abandoned building in Fukushima ban area

Japanese police said that they received an anonymous report on the evening of September 23rd, local time. In the live webcast, three people were found suspected of breaking into an abandoned building in the restricted area. The police then confirmed the location of the scene according to the live video clues, and arrested three people on the spot in Daxiong Town, Fukushima Prefecture on the morning of 24th. The site is located in the "difficult area to return home" designated by the government after the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. There is still a radiation risk, and people are currently restricted from entering. According to Japanese media, the police subsequently said that the three men had admitted to illegal entry, and the case is still under further investigation.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Japan issued a statement on the 26th: "We consider their behavior unacceptable and apologize to all Japanese citizens who have been offended." The statement also stressed: "We firmly believe that this unfortunate incident should not raise questions about the gratitude of the Ukrainian people to the Japanese people. During the difficult times in Ukraine, the Japanese people gave friendship and sincere assistance."

On March 11, 2011, a major earthquake in the northeastern part of Japan caused a tsunami, causing a large amount of radioactive material to leak at Fukushima's first nuclear power plant.After the nuclear accident, the Japanese government implemented partition management and long-term restrictions on contaminated areas, and some areas are still listed as "return difficult areas".