We conducted a pot cultivation experiment from June to December 2021 using saplings of deciduous broadleaf tree Styrax japonicus, evergreen broadleaf tree Ilex crenata, evergreen conifer Pinus densiflora, with forest floor soils containing ¹³⁷Cs. As a result, ¹³⁷Cs is being transferred to various parts of plants through trans-root absorption from soils, nevertheless their fixation and adsorption of ¹³⁷Cs have been progressed. Temporal changes in the concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in leaves were different between the three species. In S.japonicus, the translocation of ¹³⁷Cs from leaves to trunks and branches occurred during deciduous season, as the concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in fallen leaves was lower than their living leaves. Furthermore, the amount of ¹³⁷Cs contained in different parts of saplings confirmed that the most ¹³⁷Cs was contained in root of them. In previous papers on the behavior of ¹³⁷Cs in forest trees due to the FDNPP accident, the amount of ¹³⁷Cs present and its temporal changes in above-ground parts of mature trees have been evaluated. The results of this sapling cultivation experiment showed that the roots also contained ¹³⁷Cs. It suggested that it’s necessary to focus on the accumulation of ¹³⁷Cs in roots when evaluating the total amount of ¹³⁷Cs accumulated in trees in forests.

In an era of rapid change and unpredictability across social, economic, and environmental domains, the interplay between facts and values, coupled with the oversimplification and polarization of problem framing, poses significant challenges to establishing a shared understanding of complex issues. Developing human resources capable of bridging these divides and formulating tangible solutions is crucial. However, further discourse and empirical investigation are necessary to advance environmental education aimed at cultivating sustainability-oriented professionals. This study employed Visual Problem Appraisal (VPA), an audio-visual educational tool, in a workshop for university students on the subject of “wicked problem” of declining short-necked clam populations in Lake Hamana, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The findings revealed that three key factors influence whether complex problems are simplified or framed in a more nuanced manner: the level of abstraction, the range of stakeholders considered, and the identification of actors involved in problem definition and framing processes. This research demonstrates the potential of applying VPA methodology in environmental education to foster the development of sustainability professionals equipped to tackle multifaceted environmental challenges. Further research is needed to validate these findings and refine the approach for broader application in sustainability education.

The Local Environmental Institutes (LEIs) are responsible for research and surveys to promote environmental policy by the local governments in Japan, and research utilization in policy-making is a critical issue. However, the previous study revealed that utilization rate was low, which was less than 30％ in the research on PM_2.5. To understand the mechanisms of the previous results, interviews were conducted with 15 respondents who belong to the LEIs and the related Environmental Policy Departments (EPDs). Comprehensive analysis indicated that the utilized research could be classified into “Needs-Oriented Research (NOR)” and “Seeds-Oriented Research (SOR)” in terms of research and policy processes relationship. The research process was integrated into the policy process and utilization was decided with research design in the NOR, although those were separated, and utilization was decided depending on the EPDs’ situation and the research outcomes in the SOR. The NOR is more important than the SOR in promoting utilization, although the SOR has been more common in the LEIs which could be the cause of the previous results. To facilitate the NOR, it is crucial to controlling boundaries between the processes according to the objectives and both process stages.