Article

Dialogue, radiation measurements and other collaborative practices by experts and residents in the former evacuation areas of Fukushima: A case study in Yamakiya District, Kawamata Town^☆

¹ National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan
² Chiba University, Graduate School of Horticulture, 648 Matsudo Matsudo-City, Chiba 271-8510, Japan
³ Chiba University, Center for Environmental Remote Sensing, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba-City, Cbiba 263-8522, Japan
⁴ Research Department, Fukushima Prefectural Centre for Environmental Creation, 2-10 Fukasaku, Miharu-machi, Tamura-gun, Fukushima 963-7700, Japan

^* Corresponding author: t.yasutaka@aist.go.jp

Received: 9 June 2020
Accepted: 9 July 2020

Abstract

This paper describes the involvement of the residents of the Yamakiya district of the Kawamata town, a former evacuation area after the accident of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), in the on-going research activities of the authors on the behaviour of radioactive caesium in the environment. By relying on dialogue, measuring radiation, and other collaborative practices, this involvement enabled a series of actions to be taken to resolve the challenges related to the recovery after the lifting of the evacuation order that were appreciated by the residents. The paper also discusses the effects of the interactive program led by the Yamakiya School organized by the authors in cooperation with the residents including among others lectures, voluntary works and radiological surveys on local issues. Based on the above, the authors make recommendations on the desirable form of relationship between residents and experts after an event of large-scale environmental pollution including radiological contamination. Through these activities the authors have also gradually changed their research approach.