The 30-person team visited the region from October 30 to November 7 under the leadership of Mr. Shuji Shimizu, vice-president of Fukushima University, who also suggested the original idea. The team represented a cross-section of the groups working to rebuild Fukushima, including university and prefectural government staff, personnel from Minami-soma City and Namie Town, the mayor of Kawauchi village and people from local agricultural and forestry associations, NPOs, etc.

Mr. Shimizu had actually visited Chernobyl 20 years ago to investigate the situation in the area first-hand. However, this recent visit was rather different, with Fukushima residents now the victims of a nuclear accident. This time the focus was on learning what people experienced and how to apply these lessons at home. For this reason, Mr. Shimizu’s proposal called for the participation of a wide range of people including prefectural and local government officials.

Happily, the governments of both Belarus and Ukraine warmly welcomed the group and were well prepared to assist them. With their guides, the Japanese visited the Chernobyl plant itself as well as schools, hospitals and research centers in the affected area. They were also given the opportunity to exchange opinions with local people, including those who were evacuated following the disaster.

According to Mr. Shimizu, he was most struck by the differences in social policy. When Chernobyl occurred, Belarus and Ukraine were still members of the Soviet Union and as all land was state-owned, there were no barriers to relocating people. This evacuation was made easier by the fact the countries still had large areas of unsettled land. In addition, the national governments took responsibility for providing housing and employment in the new locations.

Local approaches to dealing with radiation were very informative. For example, in the village of Kamaryn in Belarus, close to Chernobyl, a school functions as an information center for health management and measurement of radiation in food. This school is equipped with measuring devices and anyone can bring in food to test it. Likewise, the village hospital has measuring devices available so residents can check their own bodies for radiation.

Mr. Shimizu supports adopting a similar approach in Fukushima and has already presented a proposal to the prefectural government. This will allow residents to check their own levels and protect themselves against internal exposure in daily life. Establishing an accurate measurement system will also be a key part of developing an effective agricultural policy during reconstruction.

Both Belarus and Ukraine have complied detailed grid maps of the contamination. As the radiation varies in its level and also type, an accurate assessment is helpful for deciding which land can be safely farmed. This was highly instructional for group members, who realized the most realistic approach is to compartmentalize the area and deal with sections on an individual basis.

The group actually heard that, in some areas, radiation in milk and crops had fallen below the standard level within just four years and farmers were able to resume production. Mr. Shimizu intends to create a similar map for Fukushima. Compared to the situation 25 years ago when Chernobyl occurred, it will be possible to develop a far more accurate and detailed map using GPS and other IT technology.

With the tour proving so valuable, Mr. Shimizu is also working on a plan to arrange a reciprocal visit for Belarus and Ukraine officials. This will help to build a deeper relationship, facilitating continuing exchange. Medical personnel are in fact already in communication and Mr. Shimizu hopes to learn more about health management programs. An initiative to support cooperation between Fukushima University and Belarusian State University is also underway.

While the information received will be of immediate benefit in Fukushima, Mr. Shimizu is also looking to the future. He strongly believes in the importance of consolidating the knowledge related to dealing with nuclear accidents (health management, agricultural regeneration, industrial recovery, government risk management, etc.) gained in Belarus, Ukraine and now Japan and making it available to the rest of the world.