ESSAY ③

エッセイ 3

Recalling the power of a Cassava plant
Cassava stem served as ﬁrewood to cook theChristian Paul Kolonel

Ph.D. candidate at Tokyo University of Agriculture

Economic and educational impact
of Cassava

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2022 HISF scholarship recipientChildhood memories and Cassava trade
While having a rest, seated, and with a relaxed mind; I
recall back the long-time memories when I was young. I
remember when I was ordered by my parents to go tofishermen near the shores of Lake Victoria in Mwanza,
Tanzania; with cassava flour in exchange of fish back in
1996/1997. I could understand that the fishermen werealways in need of flour and we (family) were in need offish to complete a meal of the day. Ooh what a means oflife that was! It looked similar to the life before colonial era
when barter trade (exchange of goods or services, inexchange for other goods or services) was prominent.
Until in my adolescent age by 2003 prior to joining
secondary school education (junior high school), I had somuch learnt about cassava; not only how it is propagated,but also how important it was in comparison with otherfamous food crops such as maize, sweet potatoes,sorghum and rice.

communities. Born in an agro-pastoral family and raised inan agro-pastoral community in Mwanza region, Tanzania; I
was able to explore the full potentials of cassava on apractical basis. Such benefits were basically from the‘cassava tree parts’, specifically from the entire usefulproducts of the crop.

In times when maize (the major crop) did not perform well
due to soil and climatic conditions, cassava (the second
major crop) performed well even in times of insufficient
rainfall and high temperature. Cassava remained tolerant
against drought and in relatively poor soils; giving
sufficient returns in terms of food, cash, and fuel.
Tolerance and high productive value made cassava an
outstanding crop, hence perceived as the major crop int h e L a k e Z o n e s o f Ta n z a n i a a m o n g a g r o - p a s t o r a l

07 HISFii) Vegetable from the cassava leaves (the topmost
leaves) that made a complete meal achievable in asingle crop. Grinded leaves and then boiled were mademore delicious by adding fresh milk or coconut milk as
ingredient, among other things.

Versatility of Cassava tree
and family dependence
From the entire cassava tree, we were able to get thefollowing:i) Main food (Ugali – common dish in Tanzania/Africa)that came from its roots i.e. the cassava flour fromprocessed cassava;

Cassava leaves serve as vegetableiii) Fuel from thecassava stem dried stem provided
cooking and heatingenergy in the formof firewood.

Cassava's resilienceand agricultural significanceCassava roots, debarked, dried and processed into ﬂour to makeand cassava vegetable

A meal is completely achieved in a single crop

We (family) relied on the crop as always to achieve our
day-to-day meal requirements. Furthermore, growing
cassava assured us with our:i) Health needs thus fulfilled nutritional improvement;ii) Financial requirements, which contributed toh o u s e h o l d i n c o m e a n d c o m m u n i t y e c o n o m y.
Unprocessed or partially processed cassava roots (forfood) formed the most traded part of the cassava tree;iii) Social needs fulfillment i.e. various expenses.
The presence of cassava flour processing factory in the
1980s and 1990s in Mwanza region stimulated cassava
businesses and hence increased the need for more cassava,
turning it into a cash crop. This resulted into an increased
cassava demand which led to hunger and starvation due toselling of cassava reserved for food. Consequently, rawmaterials became inadequate, all operations stopped andhence the factory was shutdown. Where cotton (the major
cash crop by then) performed poorly and hence declined
productivity in many parts of Tanzania since 1990s, cassava
not only saved people from starvation or hunger, but also
ensured a continuous cash flow for the general community.
With the cassava crop, my parents were able to secure a
substantial amount of cash; thanks to the cassava tree they
managed to pay all the fees and other costs of my primary,secondary and high school education (equivalent toelementary, junior high and senior high school in Japanese
education system). Conclusively; my academic life before
university and the cassava tree are two ‘friends’ of a mutual
relationship that forms a lifetime memory. Growing cassava
has recently declined, mainly due to infestation. As of now
while living in Japan, I remember a lot about cassava every
time I go to buy African food stuffs (including cassava) at
Shinjuku Halal Food, near Shin-Okubo station.

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ESSAY ④

エッセイ 4Into the world of aquatic insects and more…
Janine Tolod

to document the growth and development of this species,
and it was the first extensive study that looked at thedevelopment of a Rafflesia. Even if the Rafflesia project
was fun, promising, and had a lot of potential, my interest
was still in river ecology. My bosses were very supportive
when I told them I would like to go back to studying theriver. I decided to pursue a master's degree and applied for

the Japanese Government Scholarship Program and was
accepted for the October 2017 entrance. I continued to
study rivers and insects until now that I am already in my
PhD course. There are still so many things to understandabout the aquatic ecosystem! Below are some photos
taken through the years of my research journey so far.
Please take a look!

Ph. D. candidate at Hokkaido University
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2022 HISF scholarship recipient

Research journey
I have been working in the field of limnology andentomology since 2014 when I had my firstresearch-related job in a university in the Philippines after
my college graduation. Back when I was anundergraduate, I would have never imagined that I would
be a researcher, especially one who works on insects andriver ecology. I entered my Bachelor`s course in Biology
thinking that I would go to medical school after graduation
because it has been my dream to become a doctor since I
was 10 years old.

terrestrial adults. This means that these insects areimportant in the connection between aquatic and terrestrial
habitats. Luckily for me, there was a researcher job
opening at the university where I graduated from and the
project leader was my professor before. He hired me aspart of a 2-year project that aimed to study the aquatic
insect communities of rivers in watersheds withgeothermal and hydropower activities. I had theopportunity to travel to different provinces in my country
and do research while also teaching the locals and partnercompanies about river ecology.

Discovering the fascination for insects

Expanding research and academic pursuits

Fortunately for me, in my third year of my Bachelor`s, I
took up an elective class on Entomology (study of insects)
only because it was the only class that fit my schedule. I
had zero interest in insects before then, but when I started
learning about them, I came to appreciate the importanceof these little bugs to our lives. My Bachelor`s thesis was
about the succession of terrestrial insects on adecomposing King Cobra, which has applications inwildlife forensics. In my 4th year of Bachelor`s, I had aclass about river ecology and I was surprised that rivers
have a lot of insects. Thus, my interest in aquatic insects
was born.

Sadly, the project ended in 2015 and I was transferred toanother research project which was very different from river
ecology. This project was about a new species of Rafflesia
in the Philippines. Rafflesia is known as the largest flower
in the world and is also famous for its rotten smell. As forthe species that we studied (Rafflesia consueloae), it isconsidered the smallest Rafflesia and the smell wasn`t so
bad too. I stayed in the Rafflesia project until early 2017.
This species is very interesting. It comes out as a flower
but it does not have any roots, stems, or leaves. It is aparasite of a vine and we cannot tell if the vine has
Rafflesia until the flower comes out! It amazed me that thiskind of plant exists, and I always wondered if it was really aplant or an alien that entered the vine! Nonetheless, being
in that project was refreshing because nothing was known
about the species at that time and I was challenged to thinkof research questions and experiments. Finally, I was able

Transitioning research interests
Aquatic insects are those insects that spend part of theirlife cycle in water. These insects are usually in larvae form
until they pupate and come out from the water as

09 HISF

1) Field work in the Philippines during river research3) Photo taken during one of the ﬁeld works
I joined during PhD

2)ャHereare some photos ofキプション4) We collect insects even on winter!

ﬂower and ﬂower buds5) Some photos of aquatic insects viewed under the microscope

HISF 10ESSAY ⑤

エッセイ 5

Beyond borders: Radiological protection researchand scholarly initiatives
Thu Zar Win

Ph. D. candidate at Nagasaki University
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2022 HISF scholarship recipient

Introduction and educational background
I am Thu Zar Win from Myanmar, pursuing a doctoral
course in Advanced Preventive Medical Science at
Nagasaki University (NU) in Japan. Currently, I am in the
beginning of my third year of PhD and am supposed tograduate in September 2025. Prior to this, I did my Joint
Master's program in Disaster and Radiation Medical
Science at NU and my Bachelor's in Nuclear Engineeringin Myanmar.
After high school in 2009, I chose to pursue engineering at
the university. The subject of nuclear engineering attractedme, mainly because I knew very little about it except for
the atomic bomb stories from Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
This sparked my interest in looking deeper into the field.
Prior to my time in Japan, I learned a lot about atom
reactions, nuclear technology, nuclear physics, nuclear
reactor engineering, and more, but surprisingly, very little
about the human aspect of radiation protection in case of
nuclear accidents.

Postgraduate research and objectives
The lectures I attended, detailing the unique experiencesof Nagasaki University and Fukushima Medical University
following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
Accident (FDNPP), alongside narratives about the
Chernobyl experiences, significantly influenced myresearch focus during my Joint Master's in Disaster andRadiation Medical Sciences. This sparked a deeper
interest in exploring human aspects of radiological

11 HISF

protection and emergency medicine, particularly
emphasizing 'risk communication in the recovery phase
after a nuclear accident’. My ongoing doctoral research
focuses on giving a comprehensive overview of how thesituation has evolved over the last decade in the affectedareas, notably the partially lifted evacuation zone in the
Hamadori region of Fukushima Prefecture after FDNPP
accident. It is based on surveys conducted among affected
residents by NU to support the recovery process of thetown. This study aims to draw many lessons in terms of
the sustainability of the recovery process related to theradiological situation and also the health, societal, andeconomic consequences of the accident. Furthermore,these findings aim to extend beyond supporting local
recovery efforts, aspiring to contribute significantly to thedevelopment and enhancement of the radiologicalprotection culture.
Regarding my experiences from October 2022, when I
received the Honjo Scholarship, to the present, November
2023, I have been involved in several events, as follows:
1. The 7th International Symposiumon the System of RadiologicalProtection (ICRP 2023), from 6 Nov– 9 N o v 2 0 2 3 , To k y o , J a p a n(Presented the abstract: “Applying
the co-expertise process beyond
post-nuclear accident situations”).

2. International Advanced Training Course and Practice ofEmergency Medicine Training Course, from 30 Oct - 6 Nov
2023, in Kawauchi village, Tomika town, Okuma town, andFutaba town, Fukushima, Japan.

3. Third NEA Stakeholder Involvement Workshop on
Optimisation in Decision Making, from 5 to 7 September
2023, in Paris, France.
4. NEA International Radiological Protection School (IRPS)
at Stockholm University, from 14 to 18 August 2023 in
Sweden (I received financial support from the Honjo
Foundation to attend this event.)
5. CTBT: Science and Technology 2023 Conference, from 19
to 23 June 2023, the Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna,
Austria (Presented the paper: What on-site inspectors andsupport staffs under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban
Treaty can learn from the “co-expertise process” experiences
implemented after the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear
power plant accidents?). The attendance of the event was
financially supported by CTBTO.

6. International Safeguards Policy and Information
Analysis-Intensive Summer Course, James Martin Center
for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) and Lawrence
Livermore National, Laboratory (LLNL), from 5 to 9 June
2023, Monterey, California.
7. Kick off symposium for a project “Acquisition,
preservation, and dissemination of nuclear disasterknowledge”, within a framework of “Fukushima Institute for
Research, Education and Innovation”, National Training
C e n t e r “ J - V i l l a g e ” , 1 4 M a r c h 2 0 2 3 , N a r a h a To w n ,Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
8. Radiation Medicine from the perspective of Radiation
Disaster Medical Science Research, 20 Feb 2023,
Hiroshima University, Hiroshima.
9. 2022 CTBT Science Diplomacy Symposium, from 6 to 9
Dec 2022Vienna, Austria.
10. CTBTO and CYG Mentoring Program: supporting
women in STEM via online from 29 Sept - 28 Nov 2022.

Extracurricular activities and gratitude
I engaged in Honjo Foundation events as extracurricular
activities. Beyond the foundation’s objectives, I believe it
provided a platform to connect with Honjo scholars,
improve my Japanese proficiency, and draw inspirationfrom other scholars. Additionally, I regularly participate inEnglish conversation classes for elderly individuals in
Nagasaki and have initiated reading clubs with mysiblings, beginning last year. Growing up in a low-income
background, my childhood posed significant challenges. To
help my siblings navigate life's challenges, I established aweekly reading club. I believe that possessing goodknowledge can empower individuals to overcome life's
adversities. Finally, I would like to express that I am verysatisfied with the activities, either academic or personal, in
which I have been involved. Inevitably, I am convinced thatthe Honjo scholarship has significantly impacted both myprofessional and personal lives. I cannot thank the Honjo
Foundation enough for this wonderful and generous
scholarship opportunity.

HISF 12ESSAY ⑥

エッセイ 6

Ukraine in my heart.
The darkest night followed by the brightest day.
Polina Pavlenko

Exchange Ph. D. student at Fukushima University
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2023 HISF scholarship recipient

Personal impact of the invasion
24 February 2022 changed the lives of many Ukrainians,
but my family's life changed drastically on the 5th day of
the russian aggressive invasion when we experienced agreat loss of beloved family member. It was and still is anenormous disaster for my family. This always reminds methat many families in Ukraine lose their loved ones every
day.

Realization and historical insights
I blame myself a lot for not being prepared for the invasionin 2022. I did not realize that the war had been ongoing foreight years by that time (since occupation of Crimea
peninsula and eastern regions of Ukraine in 2014), andthat our enemy was trying to get rid of the Ukrainian nationin many heinous ways. I rediscovered Ukrainian history
and culture from a different perspective. I had learned
about it before, but it was just history, which seemedboring to me at the time. Is 5 million a lot? In Ukrainianhistory, 5 million is number of people died from an artificial
famine caused by the Russians (soviet at that point oftime), who considered all Ukrainians to be rebels. In
1932-1933 neutron particle, FM radio, polaroid
photography, and the radio telescope were invented, whilein Ukraine people were dying due to having their foodf o r c i b l y t a k e n a w a y. I n s p i t e o f t h e o v e r w h e l m i n gevidence, russian propaganda for the Western countries
denied the existence of the famine, as it does today.
A d d i t i o n a l l y, r u s s i a n s h a v e a t t e m p t e d t o s u p p r e s s
Ukrainian culture and language by claiming that Ukrainian

13 HISFis merely a dialect of russian and should be banned fromuse in speech, writing, and publication. They have notlimited themselves to killing Ukrainians as a means ofgetting rid of them. Notably that Taras Shevchenko, afamous Ukrainian poet and artist, was once imprisoned
and banned from writing and painting. Hundreds ofthousands of Ukrainian cultural figures, including writers,
poets, artists, film directors, actors, and just mere people
who desired to live freely in their own country and speak
their native language, were executed or imprisoned,
others lived in terror. Some people say that history tends
to repeat itself, and the same things are happening justright now in Ukraine.

Academic journey and ongoing challenges
One thing I can say for sure is that I would never dare togo far abroad for such a long time if it wasn't russians`
full-scale invasion to Ukraine. I am very lucky with my
Ukrainian supervisors from National University of Life andEnvironmental Sciences of Ukraine, they helped me a lot
in the hard time. And when I asked about the possibility tocontinue my research in Japan, they agreed, and with thesupport of Kenji Nanba-sensei, who is the director of theInstitute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima
University, I had a 2-month internship there together withthe best sensei ever - Toshihiro Wada. Surprisingly for me,
during my internship I was able to apply for and get ascholarship from the Honjo International ScholarshipFoundation. After returning to Fukushima University withscholarship, we were able to prepare and publish two very

important research papers together with my Ukrainian,
Norwegian and Japanese colleagues. We were first to use
special Prussian blue additive to fish food in natural
conditions of Chornobyl Exclusion Zone(СhEZ) andr e p o r t e d h i g h r a d i o l o g i c a l e ff e c t i v e n e s s o f s u c h a napplication. I really hope that no one will ever need to use
our knowledge of countermeasures to reduce radioactive
contamination of freshwater fish. But unfortunately, theworld is not at peace now, the Chornobyl nuclear power
plant (ChNPP) within the Chornobyl exclusion zone and
the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant were occupied by therussians when the invasion began. Later ChNPP and
ChEZ were deoccupied by Ukrainian army, but Zaporizhia
NPP is still under control of russian terrorists. In thesummer of 2023, russians destroyed the Kakhovka dam,which caused a great ecological catastrophe and thedisappearance of the Kakhovka reservoir, which was themain source of cooling water for the nuclear reactors of
the Zaporizhia NPP. Russians` actions are out of logic,
they do everything to make nuclear accident at the biggest
NPP in Europe again.

Gratitude and support
All in all, I am very proud to work with such outstanding
people and be part of this research. I am also very gratefulto the Honjo International Scholarship Foundation forcomprehensive support, kindness and understanding. I am
also very happy that the Japanese people and government
are gradually supporting Ukraine, which is very valuable
and heart-warming for me and all Ukrainians at thisdifficult time.

Night in Kyiv before the invasion in 2022

Near Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (before the invasion in 2022)

Near Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant

My hike to Witch̀s Eye Pond near Azuma-kofuji mountain

HISF 14