THE BATTLE FOR FUKUSHIMAʼS REPUTATION

Abstract

  Fukushima Prefecture has a negative reputation. People everywhere continue to believe that Fukushima is unsafe due to high radiation levels and that its locally grown foods should not be eaten. This negative assessment is not based on the prefectureʼs current status, but from perceptions formed after the March 2011 nuclear accident. Fukushima residents asked me to tell the world the truth about Fukushima and to help them overcome their negative reputation. I agreed, and in 2019 I moved from Hawaii to Fukushima City to accomplish that mission.