During the JET study tour, we first visited the Fukushima Agricultural Technology Center. The center focuses on activities including the promotion of agricultural experimental research, advancing agricultural technology and education, and also ensuring the safety of agricultural products. Inside the center we were greeted warmly by a staff member, who gave us a general introduction regarding the facility. We learned that the center has five main functions: 1) to develop technology and coordinate planning; 2) to support regional agriculture; 3) to foster and support advanced farmers; 4) to support the agriculture to produce safe food and remain environmentally friendly; and 5) to exchange with citizens and release information. Later on, the staff took us to a meeting room where we watched a video on how different types of food were sampled from the entire prefecture and how they were taken to this facility to be monitored. The variety of food tested includes vegetables, fruits, edible wild plants, seafood, meat and such. After the video, we were shown the monitoring rooms in which the actual machines that carry out the testing are located. It was amazing to learn that just one machine alone costs about twenty million yen! In total there are 10 of these machines which are called “Germanium Semiconductor Detectors”! Listening to the explanation, we learned that the staff at the research center work together in order to release accurate information regarding the testing results to the public as fast as possible. At the center we learned about the safety measures taken in Fukushima regarding food, which made an excellent starting point for the JET study tour. （Posted by：Vivian） |  |
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