“Funds for Integrated Promotion of Social System Reform and Research and Development,” a MEXT Initiative that Aims to Revive and Create Regional Business and Human Resources Had the 2014 Completion Ceremony for the Program “Education Program for Professionals in Radiation Emergency Medicine”

31.03.2014

On March 14, 2014, “Funds for integrated promotion of social system reform and research and development,” a MEXT initiative that aims to revive and create regional business and human resources held a completion ceremony for the program, “Education Program for Professionals in Radiation Emergency Medicine,” at the Hotel New Castel in Hirosaki City.

In 2010, MEXT adapted a similar enhancement plan that aimed at training qualified personnel to medically deal with people exposed to radiation in Aomori Prefecture, where a nuclear power plant is located.
Just after the Great East Japan Earthquake, three students from the medical and science programs, who had completed their second year with seminars on measuring radioactivity and the radiochemistry of those exposed to radiation, attended lectures at facilities specializing in the medical treatment of people exposed to radiation in the US and Korea. Training in Korea was undertaken from the perspective of a hypothetical nuclear terrorist attack on Cheju Island in Korea.

At the completion ceremony, President Kei Sato spoke to the attendees stating the following: “It is my hope that your preparation in learning how to treat those exposed to radiation medically during times of emergency will serve to develop this community. Having these skills will contribute to the safety of the prefecture and bring peace of mind to all those who live here.”
Governor Mimura (governor of Aomori Prefecture) also offered greeting, followed by Mr. Akashi, an Executive Board Member of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, who gave the congratulatory speech to the students. Mr. Fukui Shigenori of Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (Ltd.), working in the radiation reprocessing division, resolutely stated: “After the Great East Japan Earthquake, research into the medical treatment of those who have been exposed to radiation is at an all-time high. Now that you have finished your second year, I believe that it is from this point forward that you are truly beginning.”

Following the ceremony, students who attended the classes and those in charge of the classes, as well as, some business representatives held an information session where a lively exchange of ideas and opinions took place.

For more information on this program, visit the website below.
http://www.hs.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/~hibaku-pro/english/index.html