Thursday, February 9, 2017
IP Staff

The Center for Asian and Pacific Studies and the Japan Foundation will present "Voices of Fukushima: Art, Community, and Information after 3-11" on February 27-28. The two-day event will highlight the grassroots activism by Fukushima residents after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters of March 2011. This event is free and open to the public.

Voices of Fukushima Workshop
February 27, 5:00-8:00 p.m., 2390 UCC (Executive Board Room)
This workshop will be an exploration of individual efforts to rebuild home and community in Fukushima Prefecture over the six years since the Great East Japan earthquake of 2011, as well as the challenges that its residents continue to face. Listed times are approximate; comments and questions from the audience are welcome and encouraged. A light meal will be provided.

  • 5:00-5:50 p.m. - Toko Shiiki, director of Threshold: Whispers of Fukushima, will tell the stories of two women from Fukushima as they navigate the shifting landscapes of life in their home prefecture, from personal emotional reactions to responding to governmental regulations.
  • 6:00-6:50 p.m. - Dr. Leslie Mabon, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, will examine the challenges of sifting through the science, politics, and conflicting narratives of public safety in Fukushima Prefecture.
  • 7:00-8:00 p.m. - Yoshikawa Akihiro, founder of Appreciate FUKUSHIMA Workers, will recount his experiences as an employee of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) before and after March 2011, and illuminate the changing relationship between the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and the local community that hosts it.

Film screening: Threshold: Whispers of Fukushima
February 28, 7:00-9:00 p.m., C20 Pomerantz Center
Threshold: Whispers of Fukushima interweaves the stories of several Fukushima residents as they each turn to their love of music to help them adjust to life after the 2011 disasters. Director Toko Shiiki and composer Erik Santos will host a Q&A session about their award-winning documentary film. View a trailer for Threshold: Whispers of Fukushima.

For more information, visit http://thresholdfukushima.com/index.html, or contact Kendra Strand at kendra-strand@uiowa.edu.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Dongwang Liu at dongwang-liu@uiowa.edu or 319-335-1305.