Overview of Harvard's Inaugural Fukushima Field Trip Course

Abstract

The Fukushima Field Trip Course (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, GHP549, Winter Session 2025) offered a unique educational experience for 15 graduate students from various disciplines at Harvard University, to examine ongoing recovery challenges in Fukushima following Japan's 2011 triple disaster, which included a massive earthquake with powerful aftershocks, a tsunami, and explosive meltdowns at a coastal nuclear power plant. The course included interactions with diverse stakeholders in Fukushima and Tokyo and site visits to foster a comprehensive understanding. Organized into three groups (Health Monitoring, Risk Communication, and Environmental Decontamination), students presented their reports and results at Fukushima Medical University on January 21, 2025. The Health Monitoring group recommended enhancing the Fukushima Health Management Survey through community engagement, mixed-method approaches, and integrated data systems. The Risk Communication group proposed a national 15th anniversary campaign to revise and renew public perceptions of Fukushima in Japan and abroad. The Environmental Decontamination group suggested leveraging international solidarity to create a global network around reconstruction after disasters and promoting "Hope Tourism." The course is designed to connect Fukushima with the world and prepare future leaders in community rebuilding after major crises.