Hiroko Aihara

Journalist, Japan Perspective News

hirokoaihara@gmail.com

Hiroko Aihara is a journalist, mainly working in Fukushima, Japan. She was born and raised in Fukushima City, and had worked as a local newspaper staff writer for 20 years. While working the newspaper company, she wrote many stories on medical care, medical ethics, human rights, gender, disaster, politics, criminal cases, and more.

After March 11, 2011, when TEPCO Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant had accidents, she started covering the nuclear accidents from the viewpoint of a local. She has covered a wide range of topics, including the evacuation of victims, reconstruction of livelihoods, compensation and liability issues, health damage including thyroid cancer from radiation, human rights, and radioactive contamination of the natural environment, and so on.

The main reporting medias are Nikkei Business Online‘s “The View Points of Fukushima” (May 2011-January 2013); Fujin-no Tomo’s ”The Current Situation in Fukushima” (January-December 2014); and The Big Issue Japan’s “The Situation in Disaster Site ” ( May 2011- current). She has published more than 200 articles since March 11, 2011.

Aihara was a Fulbright Journalist ( 2005, U of Miami, Miller School of Medicine); Asian Public Intellectual (2008, U of Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University); SSRC Abe Fellowship (Journalism) recipient (2015); Disaster Management and Resiliency in the Asia Pacific Journalism Fellowship Fellow; East-West Center Disaster Management and Resiliency in the Asia Pacific Journalism Fellow (2012).

She received the Pfizer Medical Article Award Japan (2004 ) “The Problem of Lack of Doctors” and the Pharmacia Medical Article Award (2001) “Report of Medical Treatment and Social Welfare, Circle of Life”.