On December 9 and 10, 2023, a total of 24 students and faculty members visited Futaba-gun, Fukushima Prefecture, as part of the “CAMPUS Asia Joint Course: Public Policy in Japan,” a practical course offered this semester by CAMPUS Asia Program.

The objective of this course is to study Japanese public policy practically and learn the process of policy implementation at the national and local levels through lectures by diverse stakeholders and fieldwork. Not only Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Singaporean students enrolled in our CAMPUS Asia Program, but also a number of Japanese students outside the program and exchange students from partner universities in other countries are taking this course.

The theme of this semester is the reconstruction of Fukushima. The lectures and this site visit were carefully planned and conducted with the following in mind:
(1) to provide students with accurate information on the current state of reconstruction, (2) to consider the nature of policies for reconstruction, and (3) to acquire a multifaceted perspective as policy professionals through discussions with the lecturers and students.

With the full cooperation of CAMPUS Asia alumnus who has been involved in the reconstruction of Fukushima for many years, we were given a rare opportunity to have a dialogue with local residents and key persons involved in the reconstruction process. Several current Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) bureaucrats also accompanied us on the entire trip. Through a visit to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum and the Remains of the earthquake Namie Town Ukedo Elementary School, the participants were able to experience firsthand the real devastation of the earthquake and tsunami, and through a tour of Tomioka Wine Domaine and Futaba Town, and an in-car visit to a robot test field, we realized that there are still large scars remaining, but were also able to glimpse examples of bright initiatives toward reconstruction.

Through the two days of fieldwork, we were able to deepen our knowledge in a way that we could never have obtained through information from the Internet or desk studies, and I believe that each participant gained a lot from his or her own perspective. At the end of the semester, the students will work in groups to present their policy recommendations as a culmination of what they have learned.

(CAMPUS Asia Program Staff)