Fukushima Regional Collaborative Research Center (FRECC)

The National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) has supported disaster-affected areas since the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 through environmental research conducted in collaboration with the national government and local authorities.

In April 2016, NIES established its Fukushima Branch at the Fukushima Environmental Creation Center. In April 2021, the branch was renamed the Fukushima Regional Collaborative Research Center. As a regional hub, the Center promotes research on environmental recovery and regeneration in disaster-affected areas in collaboration with Fukushima Prefecture, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, and other stakeholders, with “regional collaboration” as a central guiding principle.

Under the Sixth Medium- to Long-Term Plan, the Center will leverage the knowledge, experience, and partnerships developed through these initiatives to advance research that supports post-disaster community rebuilding, addresses regional challenges, and enhances sustainability across Fukushima Prefecture.

The Center will also advance technological development toward the final disposal of removed soil and related materials outside Fukushima Prefecture—one of the major remaining challenges in environmental recovery following the nuclear disaster. In addition, biodiversity monitoring will continue in evacuation order areas and surrounding regions, contributing to the mitigation of reputational damage associated with wildlife.

• Administration Office
• Wastes and Material Cycles Research Section
  Our laboratory conducts interdisciplinary research on the management and final disposal of contaminated materials generated by the TEPCO Fukushima nuclear accident. Our research focuses on three areas: the effective utilization of low-level decontaminated soil and volume-reduction byproducts; technologies for reducing and disposing of highly contaminated soil and radioactively contaminated waste; and the analysis of scenarios for final disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture, including the potential financial and human resource burdens placed on future generations.
• Environmental Impact Assessment Section
  Considering the current conditions in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, including Fukushima, we address socio-environmental challenges in depopulating regions—such as increasing abandoned farmland, wildlife damage, and the promotion of renewable energy—from a Nature Positive perspective in order to explore pathways toward sustainable regional communities. We conduct research to quantify relationships between natural environments and human society under different land-use patterns and to translate these findings into regional policy.
• Environmental Collaborative Systems Section
  Addressing environmental challenges in a community requires the cooperation of stakeholders who live in the area, interact with its surroundings, and are affected by its issues. Our laboratory explores, through practical engagement, how to build collaboration among people with different perspectives and how such partnerships can help move local environmental solutions forward. We also work on developing the systems that support this process, including information platforms, networks, data‑analysis tools, and emerging technologies.
• Community Resilience and Regeneration Section
  Our laboratory reimagines how communities can bridge everyday life and disaster contexts. Drawing on hands-on experience in community reconstruction in Okuma, Fukushima—home to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and an Interim Storage Facility—we engage with natural systems through nature based thinking and work in dialogue with local communities to connect recovery with long-term transformation, ultimately designing resilient and regenerative landscapes that inform policy and governance.
• Fukushima Coordination and Co-production Office (F-COP)
  We serve as a bridge between the Fukushima Regional Collaborative Research Center and local communities through outreach, stakeholder dialogue, and support for collaborative research. In collaboration with academic institutions, media, local governments, citizens, and businesses, we promote information sharing and youth engagement, contributing to regional collaboration networks for a sustainable society in Fukushima.

• Research Staff - Fukushima Regional Collaborative Research Center (FRECC)