TRAGEDY IN JAPAN

The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy extends its deepest condolences over the loss of life and our sympathies to the people of Japan over the tragedy caused by the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

"We are profoundly saddened by this terrible disaster," said Baker Institute founding director Edward P. Djerejian. "From the very beginning of the establishment of the Baker Institute, we have worked closely with individuals and institutions in Japan on public policy issues of mutual interest. The institute is committed to lending our voice to support the relief and recovery efforts now and in the weeks and months ahead."

For the latest information on the disaster and the situation in Japan, as well as ways to help, visit the U.S. State Department website.

On April 8, the Science and Technology Policy Program and the Energy Forum held a panel discussion to discuss the impact of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima power plant. "Japan: The Aftermath" featured scientists and scholars who discussed the health and policy implications of these events. For those unable to attend the event,  the Baker Institute has produced a four-minute video of highlights from the program, which can be viewed here:

A webcast of the April 8 event is also available.

For more Baker Institute coverage of Japan, please see:

• In a Fuel Fix blog post, Amy Myers Jaffe, Wallace S. Wilson Fellow in Energy Studies and director of the Energy Forum, discusses data from the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, analyzing the energy impacts of the earthquake and tsunami (March 29, 2011).
• Energy Forum research associate James Coan looks to past nuclear crises in this Fuel Fix blog post to predict that the situation at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant will have a minimal and temporary negative effect on nuclear attitudes (March 24, 2011).
• Rice physics professor Paul Padley discusses radiation levels in Japan in a series of posts on the Baker Institute Blog.
  - "Is radiation from Fukushima an imminent health threat?" (March 18, 2011)
  - "Radiation in Japan revisited" (March 25, 2011)
  - "Clearing up reports of radiation in Japan" (March 31, 2011)
  - "Assessing Japan's response to its nuclear disaster" (April 15, 2011)
• Kristen Kulinowski, executive director for education and public policy at Rice University's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, addressed the question, "Can potassium iodide protect my health after a nuclear accident?" on the Baker Institute Blog (March 16, 2011).
• Baker Institute C.V. Starr Transnational China Fellow Steven W. Lewis also talks about the tragedy in his March 15, 2011, Baker Institute Blog post, "East Asia"s reset button."