Speakers:
Naomi Hirose, Vice-Chairman of TEPCO (Fukushima Affairs)
Gerry Thomas, Imperial College London
Eight years on since the Fukushima Accident, event speakers will share their insights on the current situation in Fukushima, the lessons learned and the implications from the accident.
More than eight years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Steady progress has been made towards the reconstruction of Fukushima, the repopulation of surrounding areas, and the decommissioning of the plant, of which Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) must shoulder $145bn of the $200bn total estimated cost of the accident. Meanwhile, with Japan having fully liberalised its electricity and gas retail market (in 2016 and 2017 respectively), the business environment surrounding TEPCO is undergoing a major change.
The immediate radiobiological effects of the releases at Fukushima were the subject of much speculation in the media and still remain the subject of debate today. Communication of the real risks of low dose radiation exposure to a variety of different audiences, from government ministers and their advisers to members of the communities directly affected by the accident, has been, and still remains, challenging. A great many myths persist about the health effects from the Chernobyl accident in 1986, although the general consensus from scientific studies is that it is the fear of radiation rather than the radiation itself that has a greater effect on health.
The seminar is free to attend, but registration is required at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-fukushima-accident-and-its-aftermath-tickets-60811827814