The Fukushima Initiative has been conducted with support of the Japanese and European Union parties and the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Additionally, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provided technical consulting on a part of the projects. For more information on the Initiative and related projects please contact the ISTC and (matsunaga@istc.int, taylor@istc.int) and STCU (iryna.tomashevska@stcu.int).

The ISTC/STCU Fukushima Initiative was formed in 2012 based on a desire to assist the Japanese authorities following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.

On March 11 of 2011, a giant earthquake struck the north Japan with an accompanying powerful tsunami. The tsunami breeched the multiple layers of the support power infrastructure for the Daiichi nuclear power plant situated in Fukushima leading to a severe nuclear accident (https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/iaea-releases-director-general’s-report-fukushima-daiichi-accident). This led to the release of radionuclides and severe environmental contamination. In 2012, the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) and the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) jointly launched research efforts with the objective of reducing the negative impact on the environment, society and economy as well as aid the Japanese government with approaches to long-term monitoring. 

ISTC and STCU have been well positioned to tap into unique and substantial regional experience and research related to radionuclide releases into the environment including studies of the Chernobyl power plant nuclear accident and its implications, the impact of uranium tailings in the environment, environmental monitoring of former nuclear test sites, and other areas. Based upon this historical body of knowledge, ISTC and STCU have facilitated conduction of targeted research projects designed to help Japan in specified areas of nuclear remediation and long-term monitoring, as Japan responds to the challenges posed by the Fukushima accident. This is the ISTC/STCU Fukushima Initiative.

In the Expert meeting, final conclusions of the six projects will be discussed with Japanese national experts alongside their international counterparts to determine possible benefits of the research to the Japanese authorities.

I. Studies of secondary migration of radionuclides and waste treatment
1. Monitoring of radioactive pollution of forest ecosystems after accident on ChNPP (STCU 5954).
2. Methodology for long - term radiation monitoring to dose assessment using radiological zoning and modeling of radionuclides migration in environmental and food chains (STCU 5953).
3. Compaction of radioactive waste produced by decontamination of territories polluted due to the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (STCU 5952).
4. Advanced polymeric systems providing deactivation of different Surfaces
and soil from radioactive pollutions with the use of polymers (ISTC A-2071).

II. Studies to minimize transfer of radionuclides in soil-plant system
5. Development of a set of measures for production of assured quality agricultural goods under radioactive contamination conditions (ISTC K-2085).
6. Project Remediation of Cs-contaminated soils through regulation 134Cs and 137Cs soil-plant transfer by polymeric sorbents (ISTC A-2072).