March 11, 2021 will mark the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. To this day, the damaged reactors still pose a considerable threat to the environment and public health, with additional radioactivity still being released every day.

Multiple nuclear meltdowns in March 2011 contaminated the ocean, the air and the entire North-East of Japan. Millions of people were exposed to elevated radiation levels, and more than 200,000 people had to leave their homes due to the contamination. Despite all of this, the Japanese government is trying to enable nuclear energy to make a comeback, while downplaying the consequences of the nuclear disaster.

The Olympic torch relay is scheduled to pass through the highly radioactive exclusion zone and the symbolic first competitions of the Olympic Games are planned to take place in Fukushima. The aim of this is obviously to present a fake normality, when in fact the inhabitants of Fukushima have not been able to enjoy normality since the nuclear disaster happened.

On the 10th anniversary of the nuclear disaster, the medical organization IPPNW will take stock of the situation, continuing the tradition of past IPPNW Chernobyl/Fukushima Conferences. During a one-day symposium, the most important scientific findings of the last 10 years will be presented and discussed. The effects of the multiple nuclear disasters on the environment and human health will be analysed based on published studies, and specific political demands will be developed.

In light of the continuing dangers posed by the nuclear industry to health and the environment in countries around the globe, this conference intends to contribute an overview of the available scientific findings.

35 years after Chernobyl and 10 years after Fukushima, we want to draw attention to the essential lessons learned from the two biggest nuclear disasters to date, and draw conclusions as to how policies need to evolve to take these into account.