Gen Z Fukushima farmer grows kiwis to show progress since 2011 nuclear disaster in tsunami

A short drive from the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in northeast Japan, novice farmer Takuya Haraguchi tends to his kiwi saplings under the spring sunshine, bringing life back to a former no-go zone. Haraguchi was 11 years old when the country’s strongest earthquake on record struck in March 2011, unleashing a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing. The wall of water crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing a devastating reactor meltdown. At the time, the bookish young Haraguchi, who grew up far away in Osaka, feared that radiation would make the whole country uninhabitable. But now, aged 25, the new resident of the rural town of Okuma says he believes in the future of Fukushima. “Everyone knows about the nuclear accident. But not many people know about this area, and how it’s moving forward,” Haraguchi, tanned from working on his farm, says. “By growing kiwis here, I want people to take an interest in and learn about what Fukushima is really like these days.” Fukushima prefecture is known for the quality of its fruit, from pears to peaches, but the nuclear disaster led many people in Japan to shun produce grown there. Just over 14 years later, following extensive decontamination work including stripping an entire layer of soil from farmland, authorities say food from Fukushima is safe, having been rigorously screened for radiation. In 2024, Fukushima peaches were sold at London’s Harrods department store, while in Japan some consumers now choose to buy the prefecture’s produce to support struggling farmers. “The safety has been proven,” says Haraguchi, who often sports a kiwi-print bucket hat. “I think it’s important that we do it here.” Haraguchi studied software engineering at university but dreamed of becoming a fruit farmer. He first visited Okuma in 2021 for an event targeted at students, and met residents trying to bring back kiwi farming in an effort to rebuild their community. He also met a veteran farmer who moved away after the disaster and whose kiwis’ rich flavour left him stunned. Inspired, Haraguchi returned many times for research before starting his venture, called ReFruits, with a business partner who had recently graduated from university in Tokyo. They manage 2.5 hectares (6 acres) of land and hope to harvest their first kiwis next year. We don’t need to force our products on people who are uneasy about this need to sell our products to people who understand Takuya Haraguchi, co-founder of ReFruits farm Haraguchi regards the destruction seen in Fukushima not as a blight, but as an opportunity. “Because it went to zero once, we can try and test all sorts of challenging new ideas,” he says. After the disaster, nuclear fallout forced all of Okuma’s 11,000 residents to flee their homes. Across Fukushima prefecture, around 80,000 people were ordered to evacuate, with the same number again leaving voluntarily, authorities say. Since then, the stricken plant’s reactors have been stabilised, although decommissioning work is expected to take decades. Sections of Okuma, previously a no-go zone, were declared safe for residents to start to return in 2019. Only a fraction of its previous population has come back – but young outsiders like Haraguchi are moving there, taking advantage of government subsidies for things such as housing and business assistance. Now, of around 1,500 people living in Okuma, more than 1,000 are newcomers, including hundreds who work at the plant but also in agriculture and even tech start-ups. Today, dozens of sensors monitor radiation levels in Okuma, which are within officially set safety limits but still higher than in areas far from the nuclear plant. Some parts, such as unused hillsides, remain off limits. On Haraguchi’s farm, soil tests show a slightly elevated level of radiation that meets an internationally accepted food standard. Tests on fruit from Fukushima have also shown that the radiation levels are low enough for consumption, the government says. Kaori Suzuki, who leads the non-profit citizen science group Mothers’ Radiation Lab Fukushima – Tarachine, warns, however, that risks could remain now and in the future. Among other activities, her group conducts its own radiation tests on Fukushima’s soil and food to help residents who are choosing local products to consume. Although “it’s up to individuals to decide what to eat … it’s better to be cautious, because people have become more relaxed”, she says. Haraguchi, who is travelling internationally to share his story and that of the area, hopes his work could eventually ease concerns about Fukushima’s fruit. “We don’t need to force our products on people who are uneasy about this place and its crops,” he says, adding that he is committed to transparency. “We need to sell our products to people who understand.”

Gen Z Fukushima farmer grows kiwis to show progress since 2011 nuclear disaster in tsunami

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}In Okuma, Japan, Takuya Haraguchi grows fruit to show how far the Fukushima area has come since tsunami triggered reactor meltdown in 2011

In Okuma, Japan, Takuya Haraguchi grows fruit to show how far the Fukushima area has come since tsunami triggered reactor meltdown in 2011