Lessons from Fukushima: Food and Environmental Ethics, Arts and Philosophy

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami attacked the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, releasing radioactive materials. Since then, the farmland has been decontaminated, and some residents have returned, but the Fukushima problem is far from over. What lessons should we learn for Fukushima and for "sustainability transition" in our planet? This presentation reports on the field survey conducted in Iitate Village, Fukushima, in 2024, conducted by the Japanese social lab of RE4GREEN (an EU Horizon grant research project). Iitate Village is located 30-50 km from the nuclear plant and had a population of 6,500 before the accident. Although the evacuation order was lifted in 2017, 80% of the villagers chose not to return. This survey aimed to clarify the living/lived environmental ethics through interviews with villagers and stakeholders and visits to sites such as experimental farms, difficult-to-return contaminated areas (Nagadōro district), and a new art hub, Zuzu Warehouse, focusing on the critical role of the NPO, Resurrection of Fukushima. The phase of recovery has shifted from science (decontamination and radiation measurement) to economics (agriculture) and further to the integration of philosophy and art, underpinning the creation of new communities. Here, "community" refer to a "new public space" built by diverse stakeholders, including NPOs at the mediator, researchers, artists, entrepreneurs, and younger generations, who gather voluntarily and utilize their expertise. In this new public space, the concept of "nature" is being redefined—not as an objective entity but as "living/lived nature." This concept can be clarified through the critical examinations of modern Japanese philosophy (such as Tetsurō Watsuji’s millieu), and comparative studies with Western philosophy (such as umwelt). Additionally, new practices, such as the fusion of science and art or agriculture and art, represented by Zuzu Warehouse, express the essence of "nature" and "humanity" from within.