25th July, 2019
To all those intending to participate in the 2019 Society for Environmental Economics
and Policy Studies Conference (2019 SEEPS),

2019 SEEPS Excursion Information
Current status and future prospects of Iitate Village in Fukushima Prefecture

A public symposium, “Inspection of the nuclear disaster recovery policy ~consideration of the revival of the stricken area”, has been planned for the afternoon of
the second day of 2019 SEEPS (September 29, 2019). In connection with this open
symposium, the society has also prepared an excursion to Iitate Village in Fukushima,
one of the areas entering its 9th year after being affected by the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi
Nuclear Power Plant disaster. The excursion will be held in the day before the 2019
SEEPS (September 27, 2019) and will include the opportunity to talk to people involved.
Iitate Village is an area in which livelihoods operate within a total social system
incorporating the natural environment, living environment and economic activities, withagriculture, focused on livestock farming, as the core industry. At the base of this socialsystem is the spirit of “Madei Life”, which refers to fulfilling one’s tasks with a sincereand pure heart. The administration of Iitate Village has made this concept of “Madei Life”
the basis of community development, supporting activities utilizing regional resources byprivate residents and governmental organizations in the aim of intrinsic regionaldevelopment.
The TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident had a profoundeffect on the social system based on the Madei Life philosophy. The entire village of Iitate
was designated as a mandatory evacuation zone and inevitably the whole village wasforced to evacuate. The evacuation order was lifted for all areas, except still contaminatedareas, in 2017. The road to recovery for the victims and the region is still presenting manychallenges. In addition to radioactive contamination, new problems regarding evacuation
and reconstruction processes have occurred, and they also face issues specific to rural
areas such as depopulation and aging, and the decline of the agricultural and forestry
industries.
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While there are still many problems, a movement to regain a new form of Madei
Life in Iitate Village has begun. This includes activities such as utilizing rice fields after
decontamination for livestock grazing, labor-saving grain production as a countermeasure to the aging population and population decline, and no-till farming.
At this 2019 SEEPS excursion, we will listen to residents trying to restore theMadei Life and the organizations who support them. The excursion provides anopportunity to see practical approaches and problems that have arisen, learn about future
prospects and consider how researchers face the affected areas.
We look forward to your participation.

Details[Time and Date:] From 11:45 to 19:00, 27th September, 2019 (Fri.)[Meeting Place:] Tour begins and ends at Fukushima Station West Exit Bus Terminal(A coach/large bus will be used as transportation for this excursion.)[Schedule:]
11:45 Meet at the Fukushima Station West Exit Bus Terminal
12:00 Depart Fukushima Station West Exit Bus Terminal
Prof. Yuichi Moritomo (Former Professor of Fukushima University and Emeritus
Professor of Utsunomiya University) who has been involved in the regional
development of Iitate Village since before the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
Power Plant disaster will accompany the bus tour, providing his insights.
13:00-18:00

On-site inspections and interviews

Please see “Inspection and Interview Destinations” below for inspection andinterview destination details
19:00

Return to Fukushima Station West Exit Bus Terminal, excursion ends.

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[Inspection and Interview Destinations:](1) Matsuzuka Ward Assembly Hall, Iitate Village
・ Hear from Iitate Village Ward Office Staff-Hear about planned land use and progress, support projects and the status ofresumption of agricultural activities, specific environmental remediation planof affected areas, and the status of residents returning to the village, etc.

・ Hear from the former regional chief of Matsuzuka Ward, Iitate Village-

Visit the local agricultural area, hear about the current situation of residents’return to the area, land use plans, the situation of farming resumption andgrazing livestock in rice paddies.

(2) Okubo Yasouchi Assembly Hall, Iitate Village
・ Hear from the present regional chief of the Okubo Yasouchi area-

Learn about the situation of returnees to the area, the resumption of farming,
no-till farming and grain production.

(3) Madeikan Roadside Station in Fukaya, Iidate Village
・ Hear from young members of the Iitate Village assembly-Inspect new facilities established on the reconstruction budget, and hear about
the challenges in reconstruction and the development of lacquer cultivation.

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[The excursion will visit the places marked in the box:]

Source: Etsuko Chiba & Terunobu Matsuno (2012), Iitate Village is not defeated: For thefuture sake of its people and land, Iwanami Shinsho Publishers, in Japanese

4[How to Register:]
1. Excursion participation is limited to those participating in the 2019 SEEPS
2. Capacity – 40 passengers on a first come first serve basis
3. The deadline for registration is the 2nd September (Mon.) or once all seats have beenreserved.
-Registrations received after capacity has been reached will be placed on a waiting
list and participants will be contacted in the event of a cancellation.

-Advance registration for the excursion is required. Please be advised thatparticipation without advance registration will not be accepted.

In lieu of a ticket, participants are requested to bring a printed copy of the email
sent to them confirming registration to show to the excursion committee members.
4. Fee: The participation fee is 1,500 yen per person including travel insurance (appliesto members, non-members, students, and general members). The fee will be collectedon the day of the excursion. Details of the travel insurance prepared by the executive
committee will be provided in advance for participants and Tokio Marine & Nichido
Fire Insurance is planned to be used.
5. Excursion Registration: Please access https://forms.gle/G33NJutBQaX9cvYS8 andfill in the required information to complete your registration.
6. Cancellation Policy--

Cancellations are accepted until noon (12:00 pm) on the 24th September free ofcancellation charge. Please notify Masaya Fujino of the excursion committee byemail on fujinoforest@gmail.com.

-Please be aware that cancellations after noon (12:00 pm) on the 24th September,or a no show on the day of the excursion will incur a cost of 1,500 to be paid at2019 SEEPS reception on the 28th and 29th September.

If the fee cannot be collected by the 29th September, a separate invoice includingpostage will be sent.
7. What to bring, contacts etc- Information regarding what to bring to the excursion and contacts for the day will
be provided to participants nearer to the excursion date.
8. We are considering to provide translators in English/Korean/Taiwanese according toapplications.
-5[Reference:]
Prof. Yuichi Moritomo (former professor of Fukushima University and Professor
Emeritus of Utsunomiya University) recommends reading the following two books prior
to the excursion.
・ “Madei” Special compilation team (2011) “The Power of Madei” SAGA DESIGNSEEDS, in Japanese・ “Madei” Special compilation team (2012) “The Power of Madei Sequel” SAGADESIGN SEEDS, in Japanese[For any queries, please contact:]2019 SEEPS excursion committee,Masaya Fujino (Mt Fuji Researchfujinoforest@gmail.com , 0555-72-6191

Institute,YamanashiPrefecture)[Excursion Committee of the 2019 SEEPS:]-Kaneko Nobuhiro (Faculty of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fukushima University)-

Takada Daisuke (Faculty of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fukushima University)-Fujino Masaya (Mt Fuji Research Institute, Yamanashi Prefecture)-Fujiwara Haruka (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Fukushima
University)

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