Khaldon Azhari

FUKUSHIMA (Japan): In Fukushima Prefecture’s Hamadori coastal area, which suffered major damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake 14 years ago, a research and development center for innovative technology has been created under the Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework.

The Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework is a national project to rebuild the industry that Hamadori and neighboring areas lost due to the massive earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear disaster in March 2011.

It provides support to businesses – such as subsidies and test facilities for R&D – and focuses on six key fields: decommissioning; robotics and drones; energy, environment, and recycling; agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; medicine; and aerospace.

Through this framework, startups, and other businesses from around Japan have been heading to municipalities in the Hamadori region. In these areas, tests are carried out daily on next-generation technologies in various fields.

It is now seen as the frontline for innovation in Japan. By cultivating new technologies and businesses in this area, it is hoped that it will not only contribute to recovery from the disaster but also offer sustainable development in the region.

One example is the Fukushima Robot Test Field in Minami Soma, a unique R&D center that provides land, sea, and air testing environments.

The Fukushima Robot Test Field opened fully in March 2020 and spans approximately 1,000 meters east to west and 500 meters north to south. The field has an unmanned aircraft (drone) area, an infrastructure inspection and disaster response area, an underwater and marine robot area, and a development base area, making it a unique research and development center where robots for land, sea, and air can be tested.