The Round-Table project in Kashiwa: a dialogue to reconcile consumers and farmers in the Tokyo suburbs after the Fukushima accident

Abstract

This paper describes the practice of dialogue between various stakeholders at the Round-Table project in Kashiwa, a radiation hotspot in the Tokyo suburbs after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, where the author played a central role. Kashiwa is both a dormitory town and an important production area for some vegetables, but its residents coming from different regions of Japan and working in Tokyo are not particularly attached to the area, so the dialogue and stakeholder involvement in Kashiwa faced different difficulties than those in Fukushima Prefecture. In this context, after months of deliberate discussions, the Round-Table decided on independent standard value and a protocol for measuring individual farmer’s vegetables and farmland soil. As a result of this optimization process, the farmers who participated in the Round-Table became involved in radiation protection as an extension of their ordinary marketing activities. This paper examines the achievements and failures of the “Eat and Support” campaign in Japan, and discusses the significance of the marketing concept in radiation protection and the strategy of extending trust from a small circle of producers and customers, based on the experience of Kashiwa.