Abstract
This study analyses the government’s efforts and the actual situation of the victims of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident five years after the accident. As of September 5, 2015, about 99 thousand Fukushima prefecture residents had been forced to evacuate from their homes. Currently, the government is seeking to lift evacuation orders aggressively. However, evacuees have mixed feelings. The amount of legally required compensation for damages continues to increase; it reached 7.65 trillion yen (US$76.5 billion) in the latest review as of the end of March 2016. TEPCO is practically bankrupt and has been collecting funds from all Japanese citizens. As of the end of December 2015, 51 people were diagnosed with malignant or suspected malignant thyroid cancer in the second examination conducted by Fukushima Prefecture. Government measures, i.e., disaster recovery plans, compensation for damages, and scientific approaches, have been used as means to avoid taking responsibility through the use of power, the use of money to keep victims silent, and the use of science as an excuse; these measures are driving the victims into a corner instead of supporting them. Ultimately, two common causes of these problems are related to the nuclear energy policy of the past and the nuclear energy policy for the future.
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Katsuta, T. (2019). The Reality after Fukushima in Japan. In: Haas, R., Mez, L., Ajanovic, A. (eds) The Technological and Economic Future of Nuclear Power. Energiepolitik und Klimaschutz. Energy Policy and Climate Protection. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-25987-7_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-25987-7_16
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Publisher Name: Springer VS, Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-658-25986-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-658-25987-7
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