Author Archives: jfs

Sustainability Information from Japan 2002-2018

Image by jyugem. From August 2002 to July 2018 the non-profit group Japan for Sustainability (JFS) provided information from Japan to the world to help build momentum toward a truly happy and sustainable future. This website serves as an archive of the information provided during those years, covering efforts across Japan for sustainability, environmental protection, and visionary efforts for human well-being and the future economy and society. Many actors were covered, including the national government, municipalities, businesses, research and educational institutions, civil society groups, concerned individuals, and more. Over the course of 16 years, JFS compiled, wrote up, translated and published over 5,000 informative articles online and via electronic newsletters. In response to readers' requests to have continued access to the information, this website will be kept online for at least three years after August 2018. Articles and information are sorted into eight categories, as displayed at the top of all webpages, including such as "Resilience," "Civil Society", "Energy / Climate Change," and so on.Clicking on each category will produce a list of articles.A list of more detailed keywords for searching is available on the following webpage Keywordshttps://www.japanfs.org/en/news/keywords.html An advanced search page is also available. Advanced searchhttps://www.japanfs.org/en/search/search.html Note: The JFS Secretariat dissolved at the end of July 2018, so no one will be responding to inquiries. We appreciate your understanding. We hope this website will serve as a useful resource for readers searching for some snapshots from the history of sustainability efforts in Japan from 2002 to 2018.

Thank You Note from Junko Edahiro on Behalf of JFS

JFS Newsletter No.191 (July 2018) Sixteen years ago, in 2002, where were you and what were you doing? Japan for Sustainability (JFS) was established in 2002 with great ambitions of doing something to address the increasingly serious global environmental problems. We aimed to contribute to the world by spreading the message on sustainability-related efforts, ideas, and technologies in Japan, and by pushing Japan to do even more. Many of Japan's outstanding efforts and technologies for sustainability were not widely known in the world, blocked by the language barrier. Our slogan was, "The world doesn't know how hard Japan is trying!" Since then, with financial support from about 80 businesses and organizations and the contributions of a cumulative total of 900 volunteers, JFS has published 5,054 articles (of which 560 were in our newsletters) during the past 16 years, for over 11,000 readers, in 191 countries. This July 2018 issue is going to be the last JFS monthly newsletter. We would like to express our deepest appreciation to everyone who has supported JFS's activities in various ways for the past 16 years. After we announced our intention to end our activities at the end of July, we received many comments such as "That's regrettable" and "Thanks for everything!" from around the world. We realized and appreciated that people have definitely received and utilized the information we sent out. In the retrospect, 16 years have passed quickly. Over these years, climate change and other global environmental issues have worsened. In addition, new issues like ocean plastic pollution have emerged. (Or perhaps we should say that they have drawn new attention.) On the other hand, renewable energy resources have been soaring, and that is encouraging. And momentum is shifting away from coal-fired power generation and gasoline-powered vehicles. In the past, environmental issues tended to be addressed in the realm of environmental researchers, government people, and NGOs. They were a minority in society. Today, however, businesses in most types of industries work on environmental issues, and so do investors, schools, and the youth. At the same time, the topics we covered have expanded from a relatively narrow focus on "environmental" issues to much broader issues of sustainability, including social and economic factors, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has become clear that environmental issues cannot be solved if we work on "the environment" alone. In spite of (or perhaps thanks to) our original aspirations to "Let the world know about Japan's endeavors and give the world a little push," today, many countries (developing countries included) have surpassed Japan in some sustainability initiatives, and Japan has fallen behind in more than a few areas, regrettably. We think we also need to push Japan to make further efforts under a modified version of our original slogan: "Japan doesn't know how hard the world is trying!" At the same time, I still believe that Japan can and should have a role as one of the world's first countries to face certain issues, and as a country that in many ways is positioned between the East and the West. Facing a rapidly declining and aging population, how can we create a sustainable and happy society? How should we perceive and deal with the roles and linkages of urban and rural areas, which today are out of balance? How should we think about the economy, which many people still think must continue to grow, even it is already far beyond the Earth's carrying capacity? What is true happiness and what do we really need to be happy? Many people say that modern Western civilization is in a form of gridlock today, but how can we communicate about Eastern wisdom with the rest of the world and create a new sense of values and a new paradigm together? Although JFS operations will stop, the efforts to create a sustainable and happy society will continue. JFS's partner organization, the Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society (ISHES), directed by myself, plans to publish these aspects of initiatives being done in Japan, and work to convey the wisdom of Eastern thought to the rest of the world, little by little. Starting in August 2018 ISHES will publish a monthly newsletter. If you are interested, we invite you to subscribe. https://www.ishes.org/en/newsletter/index.html One final note, in July we held a "thank you" party for volunteers and individual supporters -- the people who supported JFS activities for so many years. One of about 40 participants was a student in her second year of university studies for forest conservation. During our review of JFS's past 16 years, when we mentioned our separate website designed to educate children on sustainability, she spoke up and said, "I used that website when I was in elementary school! It was one of the triggers that got me interested in environment, and that led me to my current studies at university." Another participant said volunteering for JFS got her motivated to get involved in agriculture and start a transition town movement in her own town. I was extremely pleased to hear that. It is often hard for us to know for sure how much of our information really reaches people via the web, and also difficult to get enough feedback from readers on our impacts. But nothing would make me happier than knowing that we have contributed to these kinds of aspirations for the next generation of young people and that new initiatives are being launched in various areas. In closing, I am sure that we will continue to interact with many of you in the coming years. I look forward to working together whenever the opportunity arises. And I am truly thankful for everyone's interest and support, and for what we have accomplished together. Best wishes for a bright future for everyone, Junko Edahiro

Shimokawa, Hokkaido: Advancing SDG-Based Community Building

JFS Newsletter No.191 (July 2018) Japanese Governmental Efforts toward the SDGs and 'SDGs Future Cities' In response to the United Nations' adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, the Japanese government established a cabinet body, the SDGs Promotion Headquarters (below, "the Headquarters") in May 2016. Headed by the Prime Minister and composed of all of Japan's ministers of state, the Headquarters meets semiannually to ensure a whole-government approach to achieving the SDGs effectively. In the SDGs Implementation Guiding Principles spelled out by the Headquarters, Japan's vision is to "Become a leader toward a future where economic, social and environmental improvements are attained in an integrated, sustainable and resilient manner while leaving no one behind." The Japanese government has identified eight priority areas out of the 17 SDGs. Empowerment of all people Achievement of good health and longevity Creating growth markets, revitalizing rural areas, and promoting science, technology and innovation Sustainable and resilient land use, promoting quality infrastructure Energy conservation, renewable energy, climate change countermeasures, and sound material-cycle society Conservation of the environment, including biodiversity, forests and the oceans Achieving peaceful, safe and secure societies Strengthening the means and frameworks for the implementation of the SDGs The SDGs Implementation Guiding Principles also indicate the following three directions of Japan's SDG models to transform companies, regional communities and society through promotion of the SDGs and thereby achieve economic growth and spread it further to the rest of the world. Promotion of Society 5.0, which is interlocked with the SDGs Regional vitalization driven by the SDGs and creation of resilient, environmentally friendly, attractive communities Empowerment of future generations and women to bear responsibility for the SDGs Japan faces many problems, including aging and depopulation, especially in rural areas, so regional revitalization has become a key word. In line with this, as a project for local government SDG promotion toward regional revitalization, the national government is inviting local governments to propose projects for achieving the SDGs. It is also selecting local governments that have proposed excellent projects as SDGs Future Cities, with strong support from a taskforce of ministries and agencies involved in local government SDG promotion. On June 15, 2018, the Cabinet Office announced that 29 local governments had been selected as SDGs Future Cities. https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/singi/tiiki/kankyo/teian/pdf/result01.pdf (Japanese) The following 29 local governments were selected as SDGs Future Cities. Hokkaido Prefecture; Sapporo in Hokkaido; Niseko in Hokkaido; Shimokawa in Hokkaido; Higashi Matsushima in Miyagi; Semboku in Akita; Iide in Yamagata; Tsukuba in Ibaraki; Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama in Kanagawa; Kamakura in Kanagawa; Toyama City in Toyama; Suzu in Ishikawa; Hakusan in Ishikawa, Nagano Prefecture, Shizuoka City in Shizuoka; Hamamatsu in Shizuoka; Toyota in Aichi; Shima in Mie; Sakai in Osaka; Totsukawa in Nara; Okayama City in Okayama; Maniwa in Okayama; Hiroshima Prefecture; Ube in Yamaguchi; Kamikatsu in Tokushima; Kitakyushu in Fukuoka; Iki in Nagasaki; and Oguni in Kumamoto. The national government is also selecting some projects proposed by the SDGs Future Cities as Local Government SDG Model Projects for funding. Ten projects proposed by the following ten local governments out of the 29 have been selected as Local Government SDGs Model Projects. Niseko in Hokkaido; Shimokawa in Hokkaido; Kanagawa Prefecture; Yokohama in Kanagawa; Kamakura in Kanagawa; Toyama City in Toyama; Maniwa in Okayama; Kitakyushu in Fukuoka; Iki in Nagasaki; and Oguni in Kumamoto. To commend companies and other organizations for their excellent efforts to contribute toward achieving the SDGs, the Headquarters established the Japan SDGs Awards. Shimokawa in Hokkaido handily won the Prime Minister Award at the 1st Japan SDGs Awards, announced in December 2017. SDG-Based Community Building in Shimokawa Shimokawa, Hokkaido, where I have been helping with community building since last year, is one of the leading SDGs local governments in Japan; it has not only won an SDGs Award but has also been selected as a SDGs Future City and a project proposed by the town has been selected as a Local Government SDGs Model Project. The town of Shimokawa is located in the central northern part of Hokkaido, and has a population of about 3,300 in an area of 644.2 square kilometers -- almost same as the total area of Tokyo's 23 wards. With about 90 percent of it forested, the town's main industries are forestry and agriculture. Situated in a heavy snowfall area, where the temperature drops to as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius in winter, Shimokawa has produced many ski jumpers, including the legendary Noriaki Kasai. The town was selected as an Eco-Model City and a Future City (two environmental city programs run by the Japanese government) in the past and has been acclaimed for its continuous efforts in proactive town development. In recent years, an increasing number of people have relocated there from urban areas, putting a brake on depopulation, which would have worsened otherwise. Its path from the beginning, however, has not been that smooth. After being settled in 1901, Shimokawa's population increased as agriculture, forestry and mining were developed and railway service started in the area. In 1949, the municipality's status changed from "village" to "town." Though its population peaked at over 15,000 in 1960, soon afterward it started to decrease due to declines in its main industries (agriculture, forestry and mining). Railway service was discontinued, further accelerating the town's depopulation (to about 3,300 currently). "We cannot just let it happen!" "We should do something!" The town residents, sharing a sense of crisis, began working hard to carry out various projects, drawing on their creativity. Thanks to their efforts, Shimokawa has become an exciting, energetic, attractive town that I always look forward to visiting. Yet the town people still face a sense of crisis, saying, "We have to keep moving forward; otherwise we will spiral into decline." Out of this sense of crisis, the town is trying to pursue town development more proactively. Specifically, as of 2018, the town has been pushing forward with improved town development for the two years since 2017 by integrating the SDGs in the formulation process of its Comprehensive Plan, the town's highest level plan. In September 2017, the "SDGs Future City Task Force" was established within the Shimokawa Town Comprehensive Plan Council. This task force, consisting of ten resident committee members and town officials, has served as a base organization for the process of creating a vision of Shimokawa in 2030 and formalizing that vision. I helped design and facilitate the process. The specific process was as follows: First we used "backcasting," an approach for considering "how you want to be at a particular time in the future," setting aside current realities and all restrictions, to create a vision of the town in 2030. Next, we used "system thinking," an approach for creating real transformations by understanding the links and interactions among various factors that can produce positive cycles to help the town realize its vision. Then, the task force went to work to come up with concrete measures and projects that would actually produce positive cycles. The task force met 13 times in total during the period from September 2017 to April 2018. The process was made as open as possible, and this more than anything else came to characterize Shimokawa's vision creation work. In this type of work, the conventional approach would have been to involve only town officials and a few of the town's resident in creating the vision. Instead, the task force members, who are town residents themselves, organized a meeting to write public comments together with other residents after explaining the vision they had created. They later organized another meeting to present the vision they had finalized after incorporating the public comments. In the course of this half-year process, each task force member was assigned individual "homework." They had to identify people who had not been present but were important for the future of this town, interview them to learn about their visions for the town, and consider the matter further based on the results gathered from other members. In addition, a morning "girls meeting" was organized to collect opinions about town development and current issues from mothers who were busy taking care of children and could not attend evening meetings. Study sessions for the town council members on the SDGs and community building were also held a full three times. In this way, through a careful process of consideration, Shimokawa has set seven goals for what it wants to become: (1) A town where citizens continue striving together -- embodying the town's own values, such as the fortitude to keep facing crisis and hardship, as well as broad-mindedness and tolerance for embracing diverse people and values (2) A town where nobody is left behind -- enabling all of its citizens to continue to expand their possibilities, have a place where they belong, and play a role so as to live a healthy and meaningful life (3) A town where humans, resources, and money are cycled in a sustainable manner -- becoming independent and autonomous by achieving the following: an enduring cycle and perpetuation of humans, natural resources (e.g., forests and water) and money; further growth of agriculture, forestry and other industries; and local production of food, wood, energy, etc. for local consumption (4) A town where citizens can care for each other like a family -- enabling its citizens to continue to live safely with peace of mind by placing importance on developing human-to-human relationships, and caring for and supporting each other (5) A town where culture and resources handed down from generation to generation are esteemed while new value is created -- preserving things that are old but valuable while creating new value -- a practice for which a new popular term was coined recently in Japan: Onkokishin (6) A town regarded as a role model by other municipalities around the world -- contributing to the achievement of a decarbonized society (under Paris Agreement) and globally sustainable development (under the SDGs) by enhancing and deepening the town's past efforts (7) A town bringing smiles to children and nurturing happiness for future generations -- caring about all future generations and nurturing them throughout the entire region, so that children can grow cheerfully and freely In the materials presented for the award, logos indicating goals corresponding to each of the 17 SDGs were attached to each section of the town's goals. What is significant about the SDGs initiative, however, is not classifying players' efforts into one or another of the 17 goals as if they were 17 small boxes and attaching corresponding logos to them. I think what is really important is, first of all, for the local people to visualize a desirable town with a sense of reality and subjectivity, then to check for any missing aspects using the SDGs framework, and finally to perceive the 17 goals not as individualized goals but as goals mutually connected. Since Shimokawa is an inland town, the local people there are usually not conscious of the ocean. For that reason, initially there were few opinions about Goal 14 (life below water) of the SDGs. Later, though, they began thinking about the links between the forest, their lives and the ocean, and expressing various opinions about them. In this way, providing awareness of "links" that people usually do not consider may be one way utilizing the SDGs framework can be effective. As mentioned above, the town provides opportunities for considering how the SDGs relate to oneself not only to the task force members but also to people in a variety of positions, helping create broader perspectives. For instance, several members of the town council asked questions regarding the SDGs at a recent general inquiry session. Also, a routine test at the town's junior high school included questions on the SDGs. This is wonderful, isn't it! The town identifies the following four aspects as advantages of incorporating the SDGs into its comprehensive town development plan, and intends to use them as a tool for its future development. Discovering or being aware of new challenges by reconsidering the region in light the 17 goals Developing a high-quality approach for community building by looking at the current situation from the perspective of a desirable future, and considering and adopting measures to achieve such a desirable future Establishing a system to develop the town through collaboration with a wide variety of people Communicating the town's attractiveness and potentials within and outside Japan, using the SDGs framework, to boost public perception of the town and attract settlers, visitors, businesses, investment and other involvement in the town In helping the town develop I came to realize the effectiveness of using the SDGs framework to help even small local towns consider their own community development from a global viewpoint and understand interrelatedness. In view of this, for future community building, backcasting, systems thinking, and the SDGs are certain to be the "three sacred treasures"! Written by Junko Edahiro

Fukushima-SIOME Brand Cotton Products Reaching Global Customers

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Copyright 2018 Iwaki Otento SUN Enterprise Cooperative All Rights Reserved. Tohoku Fukko Nikki (Tohoku Reconstruction Diary), a weekly feature in the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, delivers news stories on reconstruction efforts in communities devastated by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011. The articles are written by the JKSK Yui-Yui Project, an initiative to support survivors of the 2011 disaster. Here, we present an article reporting the activities of the Fukushima Organic Cotton Project, whose products are building a growing customer base worldwide.

Agriculture and Environment Ministries Create Educational Materials to Cut Food Loss in Japan

Image photo. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Japan released educational materials for food loss reduction on April 17, 2018. Trials had found that having the materials displayed in stores helped consumers understand the messaging, raised the awareness of store staff about food loss, and helped reduce food waste rates and price discounting in the stores tested. In Japan, a large amount of food is wasted even though it may be still safe to eat, resulting in significant "food loss." In fiscal 2015 food loss was estimated at 6.46 million tons across Japan. The Distribution Economics Institute of Japan convened a working group to examine business practices for food loss reduction with the participation of retailers, as part of a FY2017 project subsidized by MAFF. To develop effective materials about food loss for use by retailers, the group prepared the materials, conducted in-store trials, and compiled the results as a report. To support efforts to reduce food loss, MOE also created materials that local governments can use with their own names added. The materials are available for download on the MAFF and MOE websites. One of the actions recommended for consumers for food products they plan to consume right away is to purchase items in the order presented on store shelves, rather than the items with the longest best before date or expiration date. The ministries plan to reach out to retailers and local governments to promote the use of these materials.

‘Kodomo-Takushoku’ Food Delivery Partnership a New Safety-Net Concept for Low-Income Families in Bunkyo City, Tokyo

Kodomo-Takushoku website. The "Kodomo-Takushoku" project launched in 2017 as a food home delivery service to provide a safety net for child-rearing families living on tight finances in Tokyo's Bunkyo City. It delivers five to seven kilograms of food to needy families once every four to eight weeks. A major goal of the project is to prevent social isolation by checking in on families and children during the food deliveries and helping them get assistance before any possible problems get more serious. The project is also attracting attention as a new business model. It is operated by a consortium including the municipal government and five organizations working together to solve social issues. It is funded by the national "Furusato Nozei" program (hometown tax) program launched in Japan in 2008, which gives gift items and tax deductions to taxpayers who make a donation to their own local municipality for designated programs. Qualifying families that wish to receive food home deliveries can subscribe using the popular LINE smartphone app. There is no form to fill out and no need to go to an office in person. In 2017, the first year of this project, donations in Bunkyo City exceeded 80 million yen (about US$708,000), far above the initial target of 20 million yen (about US$177,000), and 150 families were served. In April 2018, the deliveries reached all 450 families that had applied. Through this project, the city is actively working to conduct regular research using surveys and collects data aimed at reaching out to financially-strained families, a group that has traditionally been difficult for the government to reach. The city hopes its efforts will help identify new issues and better solutions.

Communal Ties Built from Culture and Heritage

Copyright 2018 Sendai City All Rights Reserved. Tohoku Fukko Nikki (Tohoku Reconstruction Diary), a weekly feature in the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper, delivers news and stories on reconstruction efforts in the communities devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The articles are written by the JKSK Yui-Yui Project, an initiative to support survivors of the 2011 disaster. This time, we present below an article about local culture and heritage leading to communal ties between residents. Wakabayashi-ku is the smallest ward in the city of Sendai, having an area of about 50 square kilometers and a population of about 136,000. More than half of the ward flooded when the earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit in March 2011. Over 300 precious lives were lost in the disaster and the area was severely damaged. Wakabayashi-ku is also the area where Date Masamune, a prominent samurai warrior whose 450th anniversary of birth was celebrated in 2017, resided in his last days. The area had one of the richest natural environments in Sendai, the City of Trees, and was deeply steeped in tradition and history. Looking out over the coastal area now, however, the Fukanuma beach, once popular as the only swimming beach in Sendai, is empty and deserted, and only a trace of the once beautiful pine groves remains. Prefabricated temporary houses for evacuees once numbered about 1,500 in the city, but by the end of 2016 had been dismantled and removed. New lives and communities are now being built in post-disaster public housing at 13 locations and at six disaster-preventative group relocation sites. Things are not all going well though. Many people who evacuated from the cities and towns of Miyagi prefecture and Fukushima prefecture still live in private temporary housing. The earthquake struck instantaneously across a huge region, but the unevenness of the pace of restoration and reconstruction weighs heavily on people's minds. Even though people are successfully rebuilding their homes and livelihood, there is still a lot of emotional healing that needs to occur. Each disaster victim faces a different situation in the reconstruction process, and I am reminded again that the reconstruction process is tremendously long. In the Rokugo-tobu district where reconstruction is underway, a Furusato Matsuri (literally, 'hometown festival') was held for the first time since the disaster. Kuroshio Taiko drumming, an instrumental performance of Japanese drums, had been a tradition at the now-closed Higashi-rokugo elementary school. This tradition is now carried on by the neighboring Rokugo elementary school, and the powerful performance by the students at the festival moved people to tears and smiles. After the disaster, the word "kizuna," meaning communal ties, has drawn attention. A true kizuna is formed by people in the community. To do so, it may be necessary to review the power of culture and traditions inherited from the old days, such as festivals, Shinto dances and Taiko drums. I believe that an important mission of ours is to share with people the value of these important traditions. Yurie ShirakawaMayor of Wakabayashi Ward, Sendai

ISEP Releases Web Page which Visualizes Renewable Energy Supply and Demand

ISEP Energy Chart Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP), a nonprofit organization, released on February 14, 2018, a web page featuring the ISEP Energy Chart, which visualizes the state of domestic supply and demand of electricity and energy. ISEP makes policy proposals aimed at creating a sustainable society with renewable energy at the core. The web page, therefore, also focuses on renewable sources of electricity and heat. Detailed data covering energy supply and demand is rarely disclosed. In order to ascertain the spread of renewable energy in a timely manner, visualizing the data was one of the major issues to be tackled. Following the deregulation of the electricity market in Japan, ten general electricity transmission and distribution companies have been disclosing supply and demand data for their distribution areas on an hourly basis since April 2016. ISEP established the ISEP Energy Chart for the broader public, using the knowledge and information accumulated by the institute itself as well as the newly disclosed data. The Energy Chart is designed to show graphs for a selected period of the trends in power generation capacity and in the energy mix, as well as the total installed capacity of renewable energy-generating and heat-supplying facilities. The graphs are available for download as images or as PDF files. The Energy Chart allows a user to select a specific region and period, and has the function of displaying the maximum and minimum capacity of renewable energy generation for the selected region and period. The web page is published under the creative commons license, meaning that if credit is given to ISEP, downloaded graphs may be freely used for the purpose of education, research or business. In addition, use of the graphs is free of charge.

Asahi Breweries Succeeds in Long Continuous SOFC Power Generation Using Biogas Produced in Wastewater Treatment

Image by Kirakirameister Some Rights Reserved. Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. announced on May 15, 2018, that it had established a process to purify the biomethane gas (biogas) produced in the wastewater treatment process at breweries into high-purity biogas suitable for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power generation. Using the purified biogas as a fuel, Asahi conducted a power generation experiment on a SOFC power generation test device jointly developed with Kyushu University Next-Generation Fuel Cell Research Center, and successfully generated electricity for more than 2000 consecutive hours. Asahi has introduced anaerobic wastewater treatment equipment at its 13 breweries in Japan, allowing it to treat wastewater discharged from the manufacturing process by a fermentation method to produce biogas. This plant-derived, carbon-neutral biogas is then burned in boilers, etc., and reused as heat energy in the facilities. If the biogas were to be used in SOFC power generation to produce electricity more efficiently, however, further reductions in CO2 emissions can be expected. When using biogas in SOFC power generation, impurities in the gas can interfere with power generation; thus, for steady power generation, it is critical to eliminate the impurities. To solve this problem, Asahi has established a new purification process and developed a system that can produce high-purity biogas at a low startup cost. Since Asahi started continuous power generation on a test SOFC power generation device, the device has been successfully working for more than 2000 consecutive hours without any occurrence of the biogas inhibiting power generation. The company says it will continue the test up to 10,000 hours to investigate seasonal variations caused by the biogas.

Updating Fukushima’s Image

Source : Ministry of the Environment What aspects of Fukushima's image should be updated, in what way, and from whose perspective? In this article we will focus on the public statement published following Part 3 "Support by Learning, Support by Sharing--Summary" of the panel discussion "Update Fukushima--Support Fukushima by Learning and Sharing with Others." The Update Fukushima Executive Committee hosted the panel discussion on February 10, 2018, after recognizing the need to bring relief to residents of Fukushima who are struggling with prejudice and harmful rumors generated from a distorted image of the prefecture. The discussion focused on the current situation in Fukushima and how it is being communicated. At the end, comments from all participating panelists were summarized. Fukushima's image will be updated following the approach below. Resolving bias and misunderstanding Bias and misunderstanding towards Fukushima and discrimination based on them are deep-rooted. Through such means as education, it is necessary to share scientific facts--for example, that people from Fukushima can have children without worrying about genetic effects from radiation. Addressing individual concerns To address individual concerns that cannot be resolved through scientific and data-based facts alone, the problem should be tackled in group settings, through supportive, face-to-face relationships where individuals can trust and learn from one another. At the same time, it is also important to communicate far and wide to people both in and outside Japan. Facing invisible boundaries Various kinds of boundaries exist between people in Tokyo and people in Fukushima, between foreigners and Japanese, between one generation and another, between those who have experienced and overcome grief or internal struggle as a result of disaster and those who have not. Under these circumstances, it is important to talk about Fukushima in a way that goes beyond any one person's experience. Communicating Fukushima's new attractive points New attractive points and clues for new community building are emerging from Fukushima. These have global value and should be actively communicated. New knowledge and experience - for example, initiatives to organize educational field trips and trainings and to encourage young people to think about their communities' futures - should be accumulated and conveyed to a wide audience as a model originating from Fukushima. To conclude "Update Fukushima," the panelists vowed to "learn, study, and share the constantly changing Fukushima and work towards creating a new society."