Fukushima, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)--Fishermen in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, said Thursday that they will expand their fishing area near the disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, starting in January.

The Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations will shrink its self-imposed no-fishing zone from a radius of 10 kilometers around the plant to 7 kilometers around it.

The no-fishing zone was set within a 20-kilometer radius in 2012, a year after the plant was stricken by a massive earthquake and tsunami, and was reduced to within 10 kilometers in 2017.

The federation is now gradually increasing catches toward the resumption of full-scale operations. Tetsu Nozaki, who chairs the federation, told reporters, "We hope the prefectural fishery will move forward little by little."

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