Fukushima 15 years later
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off Japan's eastern coast near the Tohoku region. The six-minute quake caused damage, injuries, and loss of life, and was followed by a powerful and deadly tsunami that in turn triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. As we reflect on the triple disaster fifteen years later, we are compelled to consider whether the world is any better prepared for such catastrophes.
With support from the Albert Smith Nuclear Age Fund, the Center for Asian Studies launched “A Tale of Two Asias: Living in and Beyond the Nuclear Age,” a project bringing together scholars to examine political, social, and environmentalchallenges associated with nuclear issues across Asia. The initiative began with a March 2021 workshop marking the ten-year anniversary of the disaster and will culminate in a forthcoming book co-edited by Geography professor and past CAS faculty director Tim Oakes and Anthropology associate professor Kathryn Goldfarb.