2019-08-07
After 20 Dialogue meetings over eight years, stewardship of the Fukushima Dialogue has passed from ICRP to the newly-formed Japanese non-profit organisation ‘Fukushima Dialogue’.
The Fukushima dialogue began in November 2011 lead by ICRP members Jacques Lochard, Ohtsura Niwa, and Christopher Clement. The purpose is to help recovery after the Fukushima Daiichi accident by giving local people a forum to share experiences, and an opportunity to work together with experts from Japan and beyond. It has also been an invaluable opportunity for ICRP to understand deeply the challenges faced by local residents, to learn from this experience, and to reflect it in revised ICRP recommendations for recovery after major nuclear accidents.
During his opening address at the 21st Dialogue meeting, held in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, 3-4 August 2019, ICRP Vice-Chair Jacques Lochard said:
“Initiated by ICRP, and pursued by a group of people animated by the will to work tirelessly for the rehabilitation of the quality of life in the Prefecture, the continuation of the Dialogue is now in the hands of the newly created NPO Fukushima Dialogue. ... It is important to emphasize that the Dialogue does not belong to anyone. It is like a suitcase without a handle. This suitcase is full of treasures but no one can grab them. They belong to all of you, here in Iwaki, but also in Fukushima Prefecture and beyond in Japan and around the world.”
Information on the Fukushima Dialogue can be found on the NPO Fukushima Dialogue website (in Japanese and English). ICRP will continue to follow the Dialogue and provide updates through the ICRP news and social media.
For further information, please contact Kelsey Cloutier, Development and Communications Manager for ICRP.