From Despair to Dynamism: One Woman’s Path to Helping Fukushima Rebuild

By Yuichi Negi / Japan News Staff Writer

2:00 JST, March 17, 2026

Haruka Noguchi, 30, is helping tackle the daunting challenge of decommissioning the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Though she is now working to rebuild her home prefecture, there was a time when she was unable to express her thoughts or find the motivation to try new things. Then she spent some time in the United States, which changed the way she saw the world.

The accident at the nuclear power plant that followed the 2011 earthquake and tsunami forced Noguchi, who was then 15, and her family to evacuate from Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, to several places in and outside the prefecture.

Her father, an employee at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. at the time, lived apart from the family, working at the firm’s Fukushima No. 1 plant to help bring the situation under control.

Her father had always been thin, but after the accident, he seemed thinner.

As criticism of TEPCO intensified, she never brought up how her father was working desperately to fix things and found herself unable to talk about the topic with anyone.

“At that time, my mind was blank,” she said. “I felt I shouldn’t say anything and I didn’t want to do anything or try new things.”

She rarely shared her feelings with others and, unsurprisingly, she was hesitant to study in the United States, even though she had long wanted to go overseas. But her mother urged her to go.

“You survived the disaster,” she said. “You should take on any challenge.”

In 2012, during a three-week stint at the University of California, Berkeley, where she went as a participant in the TOMODACHI Summer SoftBank Leadership Program, Noguchi learned global leadership skills and how to engage with communities, alongside other people from disaster-stricken prefectures.

Though she had taken a big step forward, she still tried to keep her thoughts to herself. One day during a discussion in the program, an instructor called on Noguchi and asked her for her opinion.

With difficulty, she managed to speak. She was praised by her instructor, who said she made a very good point.

She does not remember exactly what she said that day. But she remembers how it felt.

“I think that was the moment I felt a sense of relief,” she said. “After that, I was able to start sharing how I felt.

“I felt like my world had changed. My outlook became a little brighter.”

Taking on any challenge

“After that, I felt like I wanted to try new things,” Noguchi said.

Along with other program attendees, she launched a bus tour in the prefecture’s city of Iwaki.

After the 2011 disaster, the city had seen a decline in tourists. The tour, which was planned from scratch, introduced visitors to local attractions and specialties before ending with a visit to an area damaged by the tsunami.

At the end of the tour, Noguchi shared stories about her father with participants, who listened and responded warmly.

Now Noguchi is working at TEPCO and is involved in decommissioning the Fukushima nuclear plant. She said it was her experience in the United States that shaped who she is today.

“I have always thought about what I can do for Fukushima,” she added. “Now I truly feel how responsible I am for Fukushima’s recovery as someone who is involved in the decommissioning work.”

Her father, now retired, told her, “Now, it’s your turn to do your best.” Those words keep her going.

“I would like to tell the younger generation to have the courage to express their thoughts and take the first step toward new challenges,” she said. “I believe each small step taken by individuals can contribute to Fukushima’s recovery.”