On 28 October – 1 November 2024, the seminar “International Advanced Training Course on Stakeholder Engagement for Recovery after Nuclear Disasters” was held in Kawauchi Village, Tomioka Town, Okuma Town, and Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. In addition to master course students of Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedicine, experts from international organizations such as OECD/NEA, IRSN (Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety), KIRAMS (The Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences), TVGH (Taipei Veterans Gereral Hospital), and Würzburg University participated in this seminar. 

The March 2011 accident at the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station caused extensive human suffering and revealed the need for more effective means of communicating health risks with the public. The recovery process of Kawauchi provides a model for future responses. In March 2012, after tedious decontamination work in the village, radiation doses were found to be safe for residents of Kawauchi to return home, and schools and public offices were reopened. In 2013, Kawauchi Village and Nagasaki University established a satellite office known as the “Nagasaki University–Kawauchi Village Reconstruction Promotion Base.” Also, the university launched satellite offices in the towns of Tomioka, Okuma, and Futaba, and one associate professor and two assistant professors are working there.  

In the seminar, Professor Noboru Takamura overviewed support for recovery efforts of the affected communities conducted by the university. Mr. Thierry Schneider, CEPN (Centre d’étude sur l’Evaluation de la Protection dans le domaine Nucléaire), France, explained the contribution of the co-expertise process. Visiting Professor Jacques Lochard explained Introduction to the IDPA method to facilitate dialogue between stakeholders. In addition, Director Koichi Tanigawa, Futaba Medical Center, gave lectures about Medical System Development in the affected area 13 years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, and Mr. Masato Kino (METI) overviewed the progress on Decommissioning and Fukushima reconstruction​. Also, the recovery process of Kawauchi village was introduced by Kawauchi’s mayor, Mr. Yuko Endo, and Mr. Juichi Ide, the Senior Advisor of Kawauchi Laboratory. In addition, under the guidance of Professor Vasyl Yoschenko, IER Fukushima University, participants monitored the cedar forests of Tomioka Town.  

Thirteen years have passed since the accident, and close to 80% of Kawauchi’s residents have returned back to their homes. On the other hand, more than 20,000 Fukushima citizens are still under evacuation. The lessons learned from the Fukushima accident are definitely important to think about for recovery of the community after a nuclear disaster. 

In the near future, Nagasaki University is going to hold similar seminars in Fukushima, especially for young professionals in the field of radiation medical sciences. Finally, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to all who participated in the seminar!