About one hundred evacuees have been allowed to return their homes inside the exclusion zone around Japan's troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

The residents arrived in the village by chartered buses for the two-hour visit. They are just a fraction of the tens of thousands forced to flee when the plant started leaking radiation after the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck on March the 11th.

The excursion marks the first time the government has felt confident enough in the safety of the area. People were provided with protective suits, goggles and face masks to wear, and issued with plastic bags for their belongings. They were also checked for radiation levels. All were to be screened for contamination after leaving the 20-kilometer zone. More visits are planned in the months ahead.