Palestinian Govt Employees Inspect Town in Fukushima Pref.

December 11, 2018

Namie, Fukushima Pref.--Seven people, including Palestinian National Authority employees, inspected the town of Namie in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Tuesday.

On a bus, the seven toured the town, which was placed under an evacuation advisory following the March 2011 triple meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

They also received an explanation from Namie town government personnel on evacuee support measures provided by the local government.

Through the inspection, the seven, who were invited by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, hope to apply the experience to support measures for Palestinian refugees.

At a meeting with Namie Mayor Kazuhiro Yoshida, Yaser Abu Kishk, who works on the refugee issue at the PNA, said there are similarities in the situations of Namie evacuees and Palestinian refugees.

Abu Kishk voiced hopes to use the information obtained in the inspection to improve the Palestinian refugees' circumstances.

On Monday, the seven people visited the town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture, which was devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. They received explanations on town planning measures from Onagawa town employees and others.

The seven plan to interact with evacuees on Wednesday. Jiji Press