IAEA and Japan Strengthen Emergency Preparedness in Fukushima

The first event focused on the IAEA safety standards on public communication in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency. It was developed by IAEA officials and experts with extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in emergency public communication. This workshop, held from 2 to 6 March, aimed to strengthen participants' ability to plan, organize and implement public communication arrangements across preparedness, response and recovery. It combined expert lectures, practical exercises and field visits, including visits to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and the Fukushima Prefectural Environmental Creation Centre's communication building.

Participants from twelve countries (Georgia, Ghana, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nigeria, Poland, Serbia, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and Uzbekistan) developed practical skills such as message development, audience analysis and selecting and using appropriate communication channels, including social media, to disseminate factual information in the event of an emergency.

Participants also explored how to build effective coordination among technical, operational and public information functions at both the national and international levels They also discussed challenges related to misinformation and disinformation during emergencies and took part in a scenario-based tabletop exercise conducted on a social media simulation platform to practise their new skills.

"This workshop will have a lasting impact on how we prepare for nuclear emergency communication, giving us concrete lessons and tools to take back to our institutions'" said Tetiana Verbytska, Chief of Strategic Communications at Ukraine's State Scientific and Technical Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety. "We are grateful to Japan for openly sharing its experience - including access to the Fukushima Daiichi site - and for showing that transparency and public communication are essential to effective preparedness."