Creating and evaluating model Business Continuity Plans for Nuclear Core Emergency Hospitals, Japan”

Based on lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Japan, revised the guidelines for a nuclear disaster. Medical systems to deal with nuclear power plant incidents are being developed in Japan. An effective medical system in case of a complex nuclear disaster, as happened in Fukushima, is mandatory.

Nuclear Emergency Core Hospitals were designated as the centers for radiation disaster management in Japan according to guidelines related to the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness. There are 50 Nuclear Emergency Core Hospitals certified in prefectures where nuclear power plants are located or are nearby as of 01 August 2020. Nuclear Core Emergency Hospitals are obligated to continue operating during a nuclear disaster; therefore, developing Business Continuity Plans in advance is important.

During the 3 year research period between 2018 and 2020, we created technical guidelines to develop Business Continuity Plans for Nuclear Core Emergency Hospitals, provided online and onsite training courses, and technical support services. Evaluation of the validity of Business Continuity Hospitals, in collaboration with Nuclear Disaster Medical Care/General Support Centers such as Hirosaki University, Fukushima Medical University, Hiroshima University, and Nagasaki University will also be conducted.

Risk communication during a nuclear disaster is important for Nuclear Core Emergency Hospitals such as media interviews, town meetings, and hospital staff announcements. Therefore, technical guidelines for risk communication were also developed.

This website archives the research outcomes of the last three years. Healthcare providers, government officers and others who are interested in nuclear disaster medicine, can refer to this website. I apologize that this website is available in Japanese only.

I hope this website will be useful for establishing nuclear disaster medical systems in Japan and throughout the world.

Sincerely,

Takashi Nagata, MD, PhD

Takashi Nagata, MD, PhD, is an emergency physician with a focus on disaster medicine and emergency management. He is a member of the faculty, Kyushu University Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences School of Medicine, Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Section of Disaster and Emergency Medicine.

He has extensive experience in field deployment to disasters and emergencies. In 2011, soon after the Great East Japan Earthquake, he was deployed to the frontline in Fukushima for humanitarian work. He was then appointed as the advisor to the Incident Command System for the Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. He also worked as an emergency management advisor for major sports events in Japan.

When he was a young physician, he worked with Dr. Tetsu Nakamura, physician and a great humanitarian who worked in Pakistan and Afghanistan for more than 30 years. Unfortunately, Dr. Nakamura was assassinated in 2019.

Every year, he participates in humanitarian training provided by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative to share his tremendous experiences with young participants from around the world. He is very familiar with tactical medicine and joined the special sessions at the International School of Tactical Medicine (CA, USA).

He is also working as an occupational physician at the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant, Kyushu Electric Power Co. Inc.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was appointed as a technical consultant for the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Labor, Japan.

Education

• PhD, Kyushu University, Kyushu University Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences School of Medicine
• MD, Kyushu University, School of Medicine