Tag: Fukushima

  • Fukushima REVISITED—World Conference 2015 Program

    Fukushima REVISITED—World Conference 2015 Program

    JASTJ Study Trip to Fukushima: Protective clothes against radiation is mandatory (c) JASTJ, Takahashi
    JASTJ Study Trip to Fukushima: Protective clothes against radiation is mandatory (c) JASTJ, Takahashi

    Many colleagues will remember ESOF 2012 Dublin. EUSJA had organized a science debate on the future of energy with a focus on the FUKUSHIMA REACTOR MELTDOWN. We had two prominent Japanese panelists. Mariko Takahashi, editor of Asahi Shimbun, criticized a “media meltdown”, fanned also by European media, zeroing in on “printing rumors, sensations” and promoting “hysterical fear-mongering along with racial, cultural and political bias”.

    Her fellow countryman Fumio Arakawa, engineer and member of the Global Engineering Institute in Tokyo, came from another angle. He demanded more ethical standards in engineering and technology regarding its impact on society, criticized Japan’s electricity companies for hyping nuclear power and made a pitch for overcoming “the monetary infected society” and to “draw the road map to a socio economic future”.

    https://www.eusja.org/europes-energy-future-flaws-hopes-challenges-in-science-journalism/.

    ESOF Dublin 2012: Future of energy with Fumio Arakawa. He demanded to transform energy wasting society (c) Goede
    ESOF Dublin 2012: Future of energy with Fumio Arakawa. He demanded to transform energy wasting society (c) Goede

    Now science journalists have the chance to see, ask, listen and judge for themselves. Mariko and the Japanese Association of Science & Technology Journalists JASTJ are organizing after the World Conference of Science Journalists WCSJ 2015 Seoul in June a press tour to Fukushima. And this is the invitation passed on by Mariko:  

    This press tour is planned to be held with grants from the Toshiba International Foundation, the Secom Science and Technology Foundation, and the Tokyo Club, and in cooperation with Japan Airlines and East Japan Railway Company.

    ESOF Dublin panel with Mariko Takahashi (r.): She charged "media meltdown" and "fear-mongering" (c) Goede
    ESOF Dublin panel with Mariko Takahashi (r.): She charged “media meltdown” and “fear-mongering” (c) Goede

    Application Details

    1. Overview

    This press tour will visit Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, site of the nuclear accident that occurred during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and a nearby town affected by the disaster. Participants will travel by bus from Tokyo to Fukushima, and visit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant while wearing protective clothing. The tour will also hear from locals of Miharu, Fukushima, 45 kilometers from Fukushima Daiichi, about the conditions at the time of the accident and the current state of reconstruction efforts.

    Itinerary

    <Day 1: June 11, 2015 (Thursday)>

    19:20-21:30      Gimpo International Airport→Haneda Airport (JAL Flight 94)

    Night                  Stay in Tokyo

    <Day 2: June 12, 2015 (Friday)>

    Afternoon        Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant

    Fukushima: Nuclear power plant after meltdown (c) JASTY, Takahashi
    Fukushima: Nuclear power plant after meltdown (c) JASTY, Takahashi

    Night                Stay in Miharu, Fukushima

    <Day 3: June 13, 2015 (Saturday)>

    Morning                      Miharu, Fukushima

    19:45-22:05               Haneda Airport→Gimpo International Airport (JAL Flight 95)

    Press tour ends at Gimpo International Airport

    1. Number of Participants

    15 participants. If there are more applicants than the number of spots available, participants will be selected with priority given to journalists, and consideration for the order applications were received and balance between regions.

     

    3. Conditions to Applylogo

    ・Must participate in WCSJ2015.

    ・Must have a credit card that can pay the registration fee.

    ・Must have English skills sufficient to carry out interviews in English.

    1. Registration Fee

    ¥10,000 (includes the cost of ① return airfare between Seoul and Tokyo, and ② transportation and accommodation (including breakfast) in Japan, indicated in the itinerary)

    1. How to Apply

    (1) Use the page linked below to apply:

    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ViF41gHpQupTgRflWEGHN3u68p0GDFX-GfpQoaIG73o/viewform?usp=send_form

    ESOF Dublin Debate: After experts presented energy options participants of the session debated them at roundtables and made recommendations (c) Goede
    ESOF Dublin Debate: After experts presented energy options participants of the session debated them at roundtables and made recommendations (c) Goede

    After sending the form, please send a copy of your passport to ma@fpcjpn.or.jp with “Application for Post WCSJ2015 Japan Tour 1 <Fukushima>” as the subject. An email confirming receipt of the application will be sent within three days of receiving the application.

    [Application Deadline] Must arrive by noon (GMT) on April 18th, 2015

    (2) All applicants will be informed of the results of their application by April 30. Participation in the tour will be considered confirmed after payment of the registration fee by credit card.

    1. 6. Notesimgres

    (1) This tour is organized by the Japanese Association of Science & Technology Journalists (JASTJ) and run by the Foreign Press Center Japan (FPCJ).

    (2) JASTJ and the FPCJ will not be liable for any inconvenience, trouble or accident that might occur in the course of the tour. Each participant should purchase their own overseas travel insurance.

    (3) This press tour will require participants to cover part of the cost, but is not s profit-making venture.

    (4) This tour will begin and end in Seoul. It is not possible for participants to leave the tour partway through, including for such reasons as returning to their home country directly from Japan or staying for longer in Japan.

    (5) As a participant in this tour, it may not be possible to attend official WCSJ2015 events on June 11, depending on flight availability.

    (6) This tour will include entering the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. In order to prevent the spread of irradiated material, wearing protective clothing is required. The expected radiation is from 0.1 to 0.3 mSv.

    (7) For photography and filming in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, only one movie camera and one still camera are allowed. One movie camera and one still camera chosen from among the participants will serve as a pool for all journalists.

    (8) Please be aware that for the accommodations on June 12, rooms will be shared with other participants, with men and women separate.

    (9) No refunds will be given for the registration fee after it has been paid, regardless of the reason. There may be others waiting for spots to open from cancellations, so please contact the FPCJ as soon as possible if it is no longer possible for you to participate in the tour.

    (10) This tour is being held thanks to financial assistance and cooperation from multiple companies and organizations. Please cooperate with our report to these organizations by submitting your response to a survey after the tour, and submitting any articles written based on the tour.

    1. Contact InformationWFSJ_logo_JPEG_300dpi

    (For questions about tour details)

    Japanese Association of Science & Technology Journalists (JASTJ) Executive Office

    5F Toyama Kaikan, 5-1-3 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo   〒112-0001

    [Tel/Fax] 03-5689-7191

    [E-mail] hello@jastj.jp (executive office)、yuki-koide@nifty.com (President Shigeyuki Koide)

    (For questions about applications)

    Foreign Press Center Japan

    6F Nippon Press Center Building, 2-2-1 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo   〒100-0011

    Mr. Junya Sugawara, Media Relations Division

    [Tel/Fax] Tel: 03-3501-5070 Fax: 03-3501-3622

    [E-mail] sugawara@fpcjpn.or.jp

    (Reference)

    On the second day of this tour, participants will be driven by bus to the seismically isolated building used as on-site headquarters for the initial disaster response, the advanced liquid processing system (ALPS) used to decontaminate water, the vast number of tanks holding contaminated water, the spent fuel pool for Reactor 4, and the harbor and breakwaters that were damaged by the tsunami and given emergency repairs. A Q&A session is also planned with the Fukushima Daiichi Decontamination & Decommissioning Engineering Company. The following day, the tour will visit Miharu, Fukushima, 45 kilometers from Fukushima Daiichi, and speak with a former town official from the time of the disaster, an expert on radiation protection, and a priest who works with residents affected by the disaster. Participants will be able to gain a variety of perspectives on the reality of the Fukushima disaster, including the situation in the power plant at the time of the accident and the difficulty of responding to the accident, confusion among residents due to failures to communicate by the government and TEPCO, the reality of damage from radiation, current irradiation of agricultural and marine products, and prejudice against Fukushima.

    Itinerary

    <Day 1: June 11, 2015 (Thursday)>

    19:20-21:30      Gimpo International Airport→Haneda Airport (JAL Flight 94)

    Night               Stay in Tokyo

    <Day 2: June 12, 2015 (Friday)>

    Early Morning  Leave hotel (chartered bus, 3 hours travel time)

    Before Lunch   Preparatory briefing for coverage of nuclear plant (J-Village)

    Afternoon        Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant

    ★Protective equipment must be worn, expected radiation is from

    0.1 to 0.3 mSv.

     

    Afternoon        Q&A session (J-Village)

    Night               Stay in Miharu, Fukushima

    <Day 3: June 13, 2015 (Saturday)>

    Morning                      Leave hotel (chartered bus)

    Before Lunch   Seminar and discussion

    -Shigeru Fukaya, former deputy mayor of Miharu

    -Takashi Koike, assistant professor at Tohoku University Department of

    Physics

    -Sokyu Gen’yu, head priest of Fukujuji Temple

    Afternoon        Leave Miharu, Fukushima (4 hours travel time)

    19:45-22:05      Haneda Airport→Gimpo International Airport (JAL Flight 95)

    Press tour ends at Gimpo International Airport

     

  • What will power Europe’s future?

    EUSJA session at ESOF 2012 in Dublin, Ireland:

    Date: July 15
    Time: 13:15 – 14:45
    Place: Wicklow Hall 2B, ESOF venue
    Link: http://x.co/laN0

    Please put this event into your ESOF schedule: http://esof2012.sched.org/login

    The catastrophic failure of the Japanese power plant in Fukushima has divided Europe over the future use of nuclear energy. In almost every country, there have been calls to reassess the risks and benefits of nuclear power and to slow down the construction of new power plants.

    The European debate raises some critical, and difficult, questions. This workshop will explore the societal, cultural and journalistic concerns. It will look at science journalism coverage of the tensions between science/technology, economical constraints and political purposes using the example of nuclear power and energy in general.

    Debaters will trigger an audience discussion about old and new roles for science journalism in democratic processes using the example of nuclear power and energy in general. A final summary may eventually lead to an action plan for a new role for science journalists in societal, scientific and political debates.

    President Barbie Drillsma will moderate the session. Speakers are

    • Mariko Takahashi (Asahi Shimbun, Japan)
    • Wolfgang Goede (P.M./Knowledge Matters magazine, Germany; EUSJA Honorary Secretary)
    • Edward Sykes (Science Media Centre, London, UK)

    As debaters we have

    • Fumio Arakawa (Global Engineering Institute, Japan)
    • Viola Egikova (Moskowskaya Pravda, Russia; EUSJA Vice President)
    • James Cornell (International Science Writers Association, USA)

    Producer/organiser:

    • Hanns-J. Neubert hajo@eusja.org

    Please communicate this message in you networks.

  • EUSJA-sessions at the upcoming ESOF in Dublin

    The Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF) is Europe’s largest general science meeting and is held in a leading European city every two years. It is an interdisciplinary, pan-European meeting, held under the auspices of Euroscience, and the first meeting was held in Stockholm in 2004, followed by Munich (2006), Barcelona (2008) and Turin (2010).

    Dublin was awarded the honour of hosting ESOF in 2012, following an open competition. Copenhagen will host then event in 2014. This year, EUSJA board-members will be hosting two sessions:

    IS SCIENCE JOURNALISM DEAD OR DOES IT JUST SMELL FUNNY?
    Speakers Brian Trench, Nadia El-Awady, Wolfgang Goede, Elisabetta Tola, Martin Robbins

    This round table debate on the current standing of science journalism includes a panel of experienced journalists, some with decades of specialist involvement in science journalism, and all with strong views and concerns on science journalism. Among the issues affecting the health of science journalism to be considered in this debate are:

    • Increasing direct communication to the public by scientific bodies that is tending to reduce the need for journalist intermediaries
    • Proliferation and diversification of internet news and commentary blurring the distinctions between professional, independent reporting and amateur and partisan coverage
    • Growing perception that the routines of established science journalism are worn-out and that science reporting is too vulnerable to claims of ‘breakthrough’ and ‘world-first’
    • Reduction in specialist staff science journalists due to financial pressures on many media and the restructuring of employment as largely casual, desk-bound and generalist
    • Increasing exposure of generalist journalists to topics with important scientific dimensions (e.g. epidemics, pandemics, ash clouds, extreme weather, water stress)

    WHAT WILL POWER EUROPE’S FUTURE?
    Speakers Wolfgang Goede, Hanns-Joachim Neubert, Mariko Takahashi, Denis Delbecq, Barbara Drillsma

    The catastrophic failure of the Japanese power plant in Fukushima has divided Europe over the future use of nuclear energy. In almost every country, there have been calls to reassess the risks and benefits of nuclear power and to slow down the construction of new power plants.

    The European debate raises some critical – and difficult – questions. This workshop will explore the societal, cultural and journalistic concerns. It will look at science journalism coverage of the tensions between science/technology, economical constraints and political purposes using the example of nuclear power and energy in general.

    Debaters will trigger an audience discussion about old and new roles for science journalism in democratic processes using the example of nuclear power and energy in general. A final summary may eventually lead to an action plan for a new role for science journalists in societal, scientific and political debates.