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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

Niigata University, Graduate School for Management of Technology Professor (Graduate School Dean) Masanori Nonaka

Movement of radioactive cesium through water, farmland soil, produce, and food from woodland and proposals for reduction measures

Research grant

Project Description

The purpose of the project is to propose technologies for ensuring safety and peace of mind for recycling-oriented farming and food using woodland resources and technologies, aiming to reduce the farmers exposure in woodland areas of Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. The project will conduct detailed research on the behavior of radioactive cesium towards fallen leaves in woodlands, riverbed water, agricultural water, paddy fields, field soil, crops, agricultural products, and food in order to predict the movement of radioactive cesium and consider countermeasures. In addition, the project will improve soils that have high concentrations of radioactive cesium in order to reduce the exposure of farmers, and also study the changes in radioactive cesium and nutritional composition through the preparation of agricultural products in order to confirm the safety of agricultural products and food.

Fields
Marine resources/foodPreservation of surface soil and forests
Grant year
FY2011 Research Grants
Grant term
3 years
April 2012 - March 2015
Grant amount
11,196,000 yen
Activity region
Nihonmatsu City and Minamisouma City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
Forest soil survey (December 2011)

Overview of the Organization

Professor (Graduate School Dean) Masanori Nonaka
Representative
Professor (Graduate School Dean) Masanori Nonaka
Profile
Specialist field
Soil environmental science, organic agriculture studies
Affiliated academic societies
The Japanese Society Of Organic Agriculture Science, Japanese Society Of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
Background
Left mid-course at the Graduate School of Agricultural and life Sciences/Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Tokyo (doctor of agricultural science). Was graduate student for at the Tsukuba University Graduate School of Life and Environmental Science, assistant for the Faculty of Agriculture Niigata University, professor for the Niigata University Graduate School of Science and Technology (soil environmental science), dean of the Niigata University Graduate School for Management of Technology, and served for the Niigata University Faculty of Agriculture, Graduate School of Science and Technology, and Office for Environment and Safety.
Collaborating researchers
Niigata University Faculty of Agriculture: Naoki Harada, Natsuki Yoshikawa, Shinobu Fujimura, Takuhiko Murakami; Ibaraki University Faculty of Agriculture: Shoichi Komatsuzaki; Yokohama National University: Nobuhiro Kaneko; Tokyo University of Agriculture: Sonoko Dorothea Kimura; Fukushima University: Tomomi Komatsu, Ryota Koyama; Niigata University RI Integrations Center, Fukushima Prefecture Nihonmatsu City Brave Towa Hometown Building Council, Fukushima Prefecture Organic Farming Promotion Network, Minamisoma City Haramachi Organic Crops Association, Minamisoma City Ota District Community Building Council, Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Research record
  • (1) Masanori Nonaka, Naoki Harada, 2011, "State of radioactive contamination in woodlands, rice paddies, and fields and measures in response", The Japanese Society Of Organic Agriculture Science Materials No. 12 (Hokkaido University)
  • (2) Masanori Nonaka, Naoki Harada, 2011, "Current state of radioactive contamination and recommendations for response policies", The Japanese Society Of Organic Agriculture Science Materials No. 12 (Hokkaido University)
  • (3) Masanori Nonaka, 2012, "Winning over radiation in farming (Chapter 2, section 123, page 0152) - Hope for the future from Fukushima", Commons
  • (4) Naoki Harada, Shohei Miyamoto, Masanori Nonaka, 2012, "Radioactive cesium contamination in woodlands and farm ecosystems caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident - Rice paddy soil and paddy plant radiation concentration in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture", Isotope and Radiation Research Presentation Meeting No. 49
  • (5) N.Harada, M.Nonaka[2012], Soil radiocesium distribution in rice fields disturbed by farming process after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, Science of the Total Environment (in press).