A five-day international conference on radiation protection, involving approximately 1,000 researchers from 58 countries and regions, began Monday in Hiroshima.
The 10th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association will focus on a variety of radiation issues under the theme, "Harmonization of Radiation, Human Life and the Ecosystem."
The conference, which is held every four years, is taking place in Japan for the first time, organizers said.
Monday's opening ceremony was attended by Prince Akishino and his wife, Princess Kiko.
In his address, Prince Akishino said, "We must develop the wisdom to draw a harmonious relationship between man and the environment, in consideration of the merits and demerits of the existence of radiant rays."
Among the topics to be discussed are Japan's worst nuclear accident -- which occurred last September at a nuclear fuel-processing plant in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, and has resulted in two deaths -- and the ways in which nations manage the safe handling of radioactive materials.
The organizers said participants also will address the health effects of low-emission radiation, as well as measures to control radiation.
Following the ceremony, Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko placed flowers at the monument to atomic-bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Park and visited the Hiroshima laboratory of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation.
The IRPA is an international organization promoting radiation-protection activities.