The windswept, rolling countryside of Minamisoma feels like the middle of nowhere, but it is actually at the heart of a critical strategy for Fukushima Prefecture.
Inside a gleaming compound operated by Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework, a throng of startups are developing robots, rockets and drones within the city.
The framework is a national project founded in 2017 with the aim of economically rebooting the region following triple meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant caused by the 2011 earthquake-triggered tsunami. Under the project, 387 companies reside in 15 of Fukushima's municipalities.
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