PRESS RELEASE

August 24, 2012 : Peace Boat 77th Global Voyage Departure

Agent Orange Survivors Travel to Okinawa and Viet Nam
Fukushima University Students Testify on Global Voyage

Agent Orange Survivors travel to Okinawa and Viet Nam

Agent Orange survivors from the US and Canada of three generations will visit Viet Nam as part of Peace Boat's 77th Global Voyage. Heather Bowser (second generation Agent Orange survivor, US); Kenneth H. Young (Canadian veteran, first generation survivor), and Jenna Mack (18-year old third generation survivor and Miss Teen California) will sail onboard Peace Boat from Japan to Viet Nam. Heather Bowser will also visit Okinawa, where it has recently come to light that Agent Orange was stored, sprayed and buried during the Vietnam War. She will travel together with Jon Mitchell, the Japan-based journalist at the forefront of investigations into Agent Orange in Okinawa.

This is the first documented case of three generations of survivors from the US and Canada traveling to Viet Nam to build ties with Vietnamese survivors and to raise awareness of the global scale of the Agent Orange legacy.

Schedule:

• August 20-23 Heather Bowser visits Okinawa with Jon Mitchell
• August 24 Peace Boat 77th Global Voyage depart from Yokohama
• August 30 Da Nang, Viet Nam. Meet with Vietnamese survivors and US Ambassador to Vietnam

Fukushima University Youth Project

Japan-based international NGO Peace Boat, in collaboration with the Fukushima University Institute for Disaster Recovery, has invited 2 university students from Fukushima University onboard Peace Boat's 77th Global Voyage. They will participate in numerous exchange and education programs onboard Peace Boat's ship and in the ports of call. Through their journey they will give their testimonies about the consequences of the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident and about recovery initiatives.

Furthermore, while travelling around the world, the students will learn about environmental issues, energy alternatives and community building initiatives all over the world, and bring this experience back to Japan and in particular, to Fukushima.

Press Conference Details
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Date: August 24, 2012

Time:
11:00 – 11:30 Press Conference
11:30 – 12:00 Q & A
12:00 – 13:00 Time available for individual interviews

Venue: Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal Conference Room

Speakers:

• Heather Bowser (Agent Orange Survivor?j
• Kenneth H. Young?iAgent Orange Survivor)
• Jenna Mack (Agent Orange Survivor)
• Sato Yurina (Fukushima University 3 year)
• Ishiguro Misaki (Fukushima University 3 year)
• Takeda Nobuhiro (Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Centre?j
• Yoshioka Tatsuya (Peace Boat) (TBC)

For further information, please contact:
Peace Boat Office (Yuko Omura)
03-3363-7561 / 080-3844-8703
y_c_omura@peaceboat.gr.jp