Kansai Gaidai University: 15 Years After Fukushima, a June 20 Symposium on 'Nuclear Power, Democracy and Dialogue'A · FULL TRANSLATION
- Kansai Gaidai University's Institute for Intercultural Research hosts a public symposium
- The theme is 'Nuclear Power, Democracy and Dialogue: How Fukushima Is Narrated'
- It marks the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster
- The event is on Saturday, June 20, 2026, held both in person and online
- It focuses on disaster memory, democracy and public dialogue
Fifteen years after Fukushima, an academic symposium on 'how the disaster is narrated' transcends energy itself, pointing to deeper questions: how a society remembers catastrophe, dialogues amid disagreement, and handles scientific controversy within a democratic framework.
As the world re-debates nuclear power amid climate change and energy security, Fukushima is both warning and touchstone. Focusing on 'narration' and 'dialogue' reminds us energy policy is never just technology and cost, but trust, painful memory and democratic process. For Taiwan, also debating nuclear power, this reflection on rational dialogue is acutely relevant. When a society is deeply split on major risks, should it chase one 'right answer,' or first learn to dialogue well?
Kansai Gaidai University (Hirakata, Osaka) and its Institute for Intercultural Research (IRI) announced a public symposium, 'Nuclear Power, Democracy and Dialogue: How the Fukushima Disaster Is Narrated,' on Saturday, June 20, 2026, held both in person and online.
Marking the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, the symposium focuses on how the catastrophe is narrated and remembered in society, and, from the perspective of democracy and public dialogue, examines how scientific controversies and major risk issues should be discussed and faced.
The organizer says it hopes the symposium will deepen reflection and exchange on disaster memory, energy policy and democratic dialogue.