Left: Prime Minister KISHIDA
Fumio and YAMAZAKI Koetsu(president of F-REI, second fromleft), among others, attend theopening ceremony of F-REI. THE
ASAHI SHINBUN

Bottom: Developing innovativetechnical capacity is one of F-REI’s
major functions. Prime Minister
Kishida visited the National Instituteof Technology, Fukushima College,
which has agreed to work withF-REI. There, he listened to some ofthe students’ presentations and gavethem words of encouragement,saying, “I hope you have fun as you
improve your skills and carve out abright future.”

CREATIVE
RECONSTRUCTIONBRINGS HOPES AND DREAMS TO LIFE IN FUKUSHIMAWith its aim of “creative reconstruction” following the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011, theFukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI) was recently established as a base forworld-leading research and development. As a “control tower” for the research facilities in Fukushima
Prefecture, F-REI will lead to further industrialization and technical education, contributing to thereconstruction of the prefecture and the entire Tohoku region.
Twelve years have passed since the huge earthquakethat struck eastern Japan on March 11, 2011. On April
1 of this year—with the backdrop of delicate cherry
blossoms adorning the areas affected by the disaster—an organization was set up as a new driving force forreconstruction: Fukushima Institute for Research,
Education and Innovation (F-REI), whose goal isto serve as an R&D center for advanced, world-classtechnologies. The institute is expected to play a pivotal
role in the development of the Fukushima Innovation
Coast Framework, a national project that aims to create
industries in the Hamadori area, a coastal region in
Fukushima Prefecture that was severely damaged by
the tsunami-caused accident at the Fukushima Daiichi

Nuclear Power Station (NPS).
The opening ceremony, held in Namie Town, Fukushima,
was attended by Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio, whoremarked, “F-REI aims to be a world-class ‘center of
excellence for creative restoration’ that will strengthen
Japan’s scientific and technological capabilities and industrialcompetitiveness, while emboldening hopes and dreams forrealizing the reconstruction of Fukushima and Tohoku.”
F-REI’s mission is, as the prime minister noted,
to become a world-class center of excellence forcreative reconstruction. According to YAMAZAKI
Koetsu, appointed as F-REI’s first president, “Creativereconstruction is not simply about restoring things totheir original state, but is instead about aiming for evengreater heights. That is why I believe it is important todemonstrate how we can make our presence felt both
domestically and internationally.”
F-REI has four functions. The first is to promoteworld-class research and development, and the second
is to use the results gained from this research for social
implementation and industrialization. While creating
new industries and accelerating the development ofexisting ones, F-REI will pave the way toward the further
reconstruction of Hamadori, Fukushima, and the whole
Tohoku region. Meanwhile, F-REI’s third function is todevelop human capacity, specifically the young people
who will be instrumental in building the future.
And finally, its fourth function is to act as a “controltower” for the many different research institutes inFukushima, including such national entities as theFukushima Renewable Energy Institute, AIST and theFukushima Regional Collaborative Research Centerof the National Institute for Environmental Studies.
Those institutions serve as regional campuses for F-REIto realize the creation of a unique place where research,demonstration, and implementation are carried out
together, and to share the knowledge gained thereby
with the wider world. “Our role is to deepen research asa whole, while avoiding any overlap with research that has
already been carried out in this region,” said Yamazaki.
F-REI’s budget scale for the seven years of its mediumterm plan through 2029 is approximately 100 billion yen,and the aim is to establish a research system consisting ofabout 50 research groups. The five key areas for research
are: (1) robotics; (2) agriculture, forestry and fisheries;(3) energy; (4) radiation science, medicine and drug
development, and industrial applications for radiation;
Yonomori district in Tomioka Town, Fukushima Prefecture, is famous for its
cherry blossoms. Due to the accident 12 years ago at the Fukushima Daiichi NPS,
most of the district was designated as a “difficult-to-return zone,” with parts of it
being designated as Specified Reconstruction and Revitalization Bases, but after
the evacuation order of these bases was lifted on April 1, it once again became
possible for people to live among the cherry trees of Yonomori. By May 1 ofthis year, the evacuation orders had been lifted for all the reconstruction andrevitalization bases in the prefecture. THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS

Consolidating the research
institutions scattered around
Fukushima into a large-scalecampus.

Five research themes
undertaken by F-REI
Robotics
Agriculture, Forestry andFisheries
EnergyF-REI Branchat Fukushima
Medical University

F-REI
Headquarters

Radiation Science,
Medicine and Drug
Development, & Industrial
Applications for Radiation
Collection and Disseminationof Data and Knowledge on
Nuclear Disasters

F-REI Iwaki Officeand (5) the collection and dissemination of data andknowledge on nuclear disasters. For example, in the fieldof robotics and drones, there are plans to hold a global
contest to find the absolute best technologies for nextgeneration mobility to be used in harsh environments
after disasters strike.
And in the area of nuclear disasters, F-REI has openeda branch office at Fukushima Medical University as its
first organization devoted to conducting radioecology
research. “I believe that it is our responsibility as Japanesepeople to preserve the data from Fukushima as a legacy, so
that, in the unlikely event of another disaster, people cansay that it was useful,” affirms Yamazaki.
To secure internationally renowned researchers fromJapan and overseas, and to have them settle down andwork on research in Fukushima, the environment toreceive them must be improved in multiple respects,including housing, medical institutions and schools.
“Everything, including the provision of facilities, has yet
to happen, but that’s why we all think it’s so exciting. I
want F-REI to be involved in regional development sothat we can become a symbol of creative reconstruction,
by restoring people’s affluent lifestyles and enabling themto enjoy a life of multiculturalism.”With high expectations from the local community,
the small steps taken now by F-REI will eventuallylead to great strides involving industry, academia, andgovernment to produce new value. Such is the future wecan all look forward to.