On March 10th, 2021, over 90 participants attended the YCAPS-JUMP-hosted
Community Conversation webinar “The 2011 Earthquake, Tsunami and Fukushima
Nuclear Crisis: Understanding What Happened 10 Years Ago and Why it Matters
Today”. The webinar was moderated by YCAPS Executive Director John Bradford, and
featured Prof. Kyle Cleveland, Associate Professor of Sociology of Temple University’s
Japan Campus (TUJ), and journalist Martin Fackler, Assistant Asian
Editor at The New York Times.
The panelists first provided an overview of events that unfolded on March 11, 2011,
recounting the earthquake, tsunami, and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
disaster. After providing this context, the speakers expounded on the response of both
the Japanese government and the U.S. military, who offered assistance in
disaster management and relief operations. Following the presentations, the event
continued with a highly interactive Q&A session where participants asked a variety of
questions, ranging from the lasting cultural effects of the Japanese government’s
response to perceptions of the U.S. military in Japan.
Sema Gelegen from International Christian University (ICU)