The 27th Fukushima Dialogue, held over two days on Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7, has successfully concluded.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those who participated in person, those who joined via the Zoom livestream, and everyone who supported the Dialogue behind the scenes.
This year‘s Dialogue was held under the theme: “Impressions of Hometown: Voices from Fukushima Residents-Where do we come from, and Where are we going ?”
Participants came from a wide range of backgrounds, including those who evacuated and later returned to their hometowns, those who rebuilt their lives in other locations, people who moved to Fukushima Prefecture after the disaster and now live and work there, and individuals whose career paths were shaped by there experiences of the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear accident. Together, they shared deeply -personal reflections on their relationships with place, memory, and recovery.
In connection with the trail walk held on December 6, the Dialogue also incorporated international perspectives.
Jean-Marc Bertho (ASNR, France) introduced the OpenRadiation initiative, while Inger Marit Eira-Ahren (Norway) joined via video to share experiences of the Sámi people and the impact of the Chernobyl nuclear accident on Sámi culture. These contributions connected Fukushima’s current realities with lessons and experiences from abroad.
We are also pleased to announce that the Dialogue was covered by major regional newspapers.
An article appeared in Fukushima Minpo on December 8 under the headline:
“Sharing the Reality of Disaster-Affected Areas and Reflecting on Recovery from the Earthquake and Nuclear Accident — Fukushima Dialogue Held in Ōkuma Town.” (Japanese only)
Fukushima Minpo is one of the two leading daily newspapers primarily circulated within Fukushima Prefecture and is widely regarded as a key source of local news and public discourse in the region.
In addition, Kahoku Shimpo published an article on December 11 titled:
“How Should We Face Our Hometowns as Disaster-Affected Areas? — A Gathering in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Where Returnees and New Residents Share Their Thoughts.” (Japanese only)
Kahoku Shimpo is a major regional block newspaper serving the broader Tōhoku region and has a large readership across northeastern Japan.
(Please note that the Kahoku Shimpo article is available to subscribers only.)
Both articles highlight a shared concern expressed by several participants: while national and local governments promote large-scale recovery and relocation policies, residents themselves often feel that they are not sufficiently involved in decision-making processes related to town planning and reconstruction.
If a Japanese-to-English translation is available, we warmly invite our international readers to take the time to read these articles.