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Six years after: ‘Fukushima memories’ and continued willingness to participate in energy and environmental policy-making process in Japan

Six years after: ‘Fukushima memories’ and continued willingness to participate in energy and... An internet-based social survey was conducted longitudinally in urbanised and nuclear-power-plant-hosting prefectures from 2015 to 2017, covering 12 prefectures in four regions by 2017, to measure temporal variations and geographical differences in the willingness to participate in random-sample citizen deliberations on energy and environmental policy in post-Fukushima Japan. The four regions were selected to provide extensive coverage of views in relation to perceptions of disaster damage and of nuclear power plant operations after disasters. A χ2 test for independence and regression analysis were applied. Statistical analysis revealed that the willingness of Japanese citizens to be involved in participatory energy and environmental governance has either remained steady or increased. This holds regardless of the prefectures of residence and of different ‘Fukushima memories,’ and despite the apparent indifference to Fukushima in the political arena and in the mass media, as well as concerns of a rapidly decaying psychological Fukushima ‘half-life’ in terms of its significance. Six years later, the damage caused by and the memories of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster are asymmetrically distributed across different regions and individuals. Given the ongoing willingness of Japanese citizens to be involved in participatory governance, a deliberative democratic process could be a tool to reintegrate divided and suffering societies. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Contemporary Japan Taylor & Francis

Six years after: ‘Fukushima memories’ and continued willingness to participate in energy and environmental policy-making process in Japan

Nakamura, Hidenori
Contemporary Japan , Volume 31 (1): 19 – Jan 2, 2019
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Six years after: ‘Fukushima memories’ and continued willingness to participate in energy and environmental policy-making process in Japan

Abstract

An internet-based social survey was conducted longitudinally in urbanised and nuclear-power-plant-hosting prefectures from 2015 to 2017, covering 12 prefectures in four regions by 2017, to measure temporal variations and geographical differences in the willingness to participate in random-sample citizen deliberations on energy and environmental policy in post-Fukushima Japan. The four regions were selected to provide extensive coverage of views in relation to perceptions of disaster damage...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2018 German Institute for Japanese Studies
ISSN
1869-2737
eISSN
1869-2729
DOI
10.1080/18692729.2018.1543244
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

An internet-based social survey was conducted longitudinally in urbanised and nuclear-power-plant-hosting prefectures from 2015 to 2017, covering 12 prefectures in four regions by 2017, to measure temporal variations and geographical differences in the willingness to participate in random-sample citizen deliberations on energy and environmental policy in post-Fukushima Japan. The four regions were selected to provide extensive coverage of views in relation to perceptions of disaster damage and of nuclear power plant operations after disasters. A χ2 test for independence and regression analysis were applied. Statistical analysis revealed that the willingness of Japanese citizens to be involved in participatory energy and environmental governance has either remained steady or increased. This holds regardless of the prefectures of residence and of different ‘Fukushima memories,’ and despite the apparent indifference to Fukushima in the political arena and in the mass media, as well as concerns of a rapidly decaying psychological Fukushima ‘half-life’ in terms of its significance. Six years later, the damage caused by and the memories of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster are asymmetrically distributed across different regions and individuals. Given the ongoing willingness of Japanese citizens to be involved in participatory governance, a deliberative democratic process could be a tool to reintegrate divided and suffering societies.

Journal

Contemporary Japan – Taylor & Francis

Published: Jan 2, 2019

Keywords: Deliberation; democracy; dialogue; citizen; participation; nuclear

References

  • The nuclear power debate after Fukushima: A text-mining analysis of Japanese newspapers
  • Teika suru Nihon jin no seiji teki – Shakai teki katsudo iyoku to sono haikei: ISSP kokusai hikaku chosa ‘shimin ishiki’ – Nihon no kekka kara [Lower willingness for political and social activities of the Japanese and its background: From the ISSP survey on citizenship e survey results of Japan]
  • Disaster experience and participatory energy governance in postdisaster Japan: A survey of citizen willingness to participate in nuclear and energy deliberations
  • Local energy governance in post-Fukushima Japan: A survey of citizen willingness to participate in local energy policy deliberations
  • Political and environmental attitude toward participatory energy and environmental governance: A survey in post-Fukushima Japan
  • Willingness to know and talk: Citizen attitude toward energy and environmental policy deliberation in post-Fukushima Japan
  • Public preferences for alternative electricity mixes in post-Fukushima Japan
  • 4 1/2 years after the Fukushima nuclear accident: Has Japan learned lessons from the failure?
  • Reputational damage and the Fukushima disaster: An analysis of seafood in Japan
  • After the Fukushima disaster: Japan’s nuclear policy change from 2011 to 2012