Soil Survey in the Affected Area

On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake in Japan's recorded history struck the Tohoku region. The earthquake and ensuing tsunami not only caused extensive damage, but also caused the loss of power supply at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, leading to a serious nuclear accident with the leakage of radioactive materials. Researchers at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics of Osaka University, with other radioactivity experts across the nation, stood up and started a radioactivity survey of the contaminated soil in the affected areas. The information gained from the survey was considered essential for evaluating human impact, planning the reconstruction process, and preserving a record of the disaster. Because every nuclear species has its half-life, we had to start the survey project as early as possible to obtain accurate information. This strong drive, with the emotion to be a part of recovery efforts, moved the universities and national government leading to the formation of the “Soil Survey Project”, which finally mobilized over 400 researchers from 97 organizations (educational, research, and private sectors) across the nation.

Inauguration of the Environmental Radiation Seminar at Iitate Village (Fukushima Pref.)

As the task of environmental radioactivity measurement was gradually transferred to national and local government bodies, the focus of our research shifted to dynamic analysis of radioactive materials in not-yet decontaminated mountain forest areas. Basic understandings of how radioactive materials circulate (or not) in our environment form the foundation for considering a reconstruction plan. We opted to carry out this research with university students. Getting the picture on how environmental radiation affects the people in Fukushima presents an important theme for education, as well as for research. This would be a good opportunity for the students to see, hear, and feel the actual situation in Fukushima by themselves. Thus, a seminar on environmental radioactivity began in 2016 at the Iitate Village, which was the predecessor of the “Hamadohri Environmental Radiation School”.

Development of the Hamadohri Environmental Radiation School (Fukushima Pref.)

Started small by volunteers, we got a lot of responses from students, and the scale of the seminars grew bigger year by year. With the passage of time since the disaster, the lowering trend of the age of the students concerned us if they lost interest in the disaster, which proved unfounded. Quite a lot of students showed strong interest in the Great East Japan Earthquake, especially the nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The number of students interested in signing up increased each year. To cope with this trend, the number of seminars was increased from one to two and we were able to obtain the cooperation of Okuma Town (where the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is located) as a venue for the meeting. The number of participating universities also increased to 11. The activities gathered strength gradually by introducing such programs as a tutoring system (the students who have experienced the seminar provide guidance to the next year's students), exchange meetings with local residents, and visits to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. In response to these activities, the “Co-creative Radiation Education Programme (CREPE)” was set up to foster human resources capable of solving problems through co-creation with society and involving different fields.

Cooperation with the Hamadohri Region of Fukushima Prefecture

In the meantime, Osaka University signed cooperation agreements with Iitate Village (August 8, 2017) and Okuma Town (June 4, 2021) in Fukushima Prefecture, confirming that they will cooperate toward the goal of nurturing the next generation who will lead Japan in the future, using the recovery of Fukushima as a model case.
The scope of activities is expanding: researches on the dynamics of environmental radioactivity using wild silkworms (which are planned to become a local specialty of the nature-rich Fukushima Prefecture) have begun, and conference presentations of radioactivity measurement data from samples collected for the seminar are being held. The students are also proactive, and have voluntarily started their group activities in 2021 under the motto “Do what you can do now” to implement the ideas they conceived during the study meetings. The group was named “Hamadeizu”, which is a combination of “Hamadohri” and the Tohoku dialect word “madei” (which means “with respect”). So far, this group has cooperated in drawing up the “Okuma Town Environmental Information Signage”, and helped to promote the products of the Iitate Village in order by selling them in school festivals with the cooperation of the Iitate Village Hall.