A Simple Survey of the Preparation Situation for Resident's Evacuation in Japanese Prefectures After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Abstract

The Japanese government formulated the Nuclear Emergency Response Guidelines in response to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident (FDNPP accident) caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. Under these guidelines, Japan has established its current nuclear disaster response system. This manuscript outlines the transition of Japan's nuclear disaster response system before and after the FDNPP accident and also shows the results of a questionnaire survey on the level of preparation the prefecture currently has for the evacuation of residents at the time of a nuclear disaster. About 70% of the prefectures where nuclear facilities are located or adjacent have completed or are in the process of completing evacuation plans, and all except one indicated they have the equipment needed to perform radiation contamination inspections of residents. These results suggest that activities are taking place throughout Japan to build a new disaster response system. It will be important to verify whether the evacuation manuals prepared by prefectural governments are effective through large-scale training and to develop human resources for performing radiation contamination inspections of evacuating residents.

Assessment of an Emergency Medicine System for Radiation Accidents in Korea: A State Survey of the Workers Involved the Medical Response to Radiation Accidents

“…Additionally, from a regulatory point of view, governmental or institutional regulators should analyze the contributing factors of the perception of licensee workers on radiation emergency medicine and consider whether the factors should be reflected in actual laws or discipline. In addition, the Cabinet Office and Nuclear Regulation Authority are responsible for protection against nuclear disasters and enforce the various regulations at on-site and off-site locations, based on lessons learned from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident in Japan [ 18 ]. The importance of REM reconstruction and the information about the REM system in Japan after the Fukushima NPP accident would strengthen the importance of this study [ 6 ].…”

Implications of the evacuation of hospitalized patients in a nuclear emergency

“…In Japan, the national guidelines for nuclear emergencies (the Nuclear Emergency Response Guidelines: NERG) were entirely revised after the Fukushima Daiichi accident and enacted in 2014, followed by subsequent amendments ( 6 ) based on international standards presented by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ( 7 , 8 ). Prefectures in Japan that have or are adjacent to nuclear facilities have updated their evacuation zone settings following this guideline ( 9 ).…”

Perturbation analysis of the rank-size rule for municipalities squeezed in a prefecture: Effects of the archipelagoes, rapidly increasing rural depopulation, ethnic minority issues, and future sea-level rise due to global warming

“…Of the three prefectures, since the nuclear disaster on 11 March 2011 the situation of Fukushima Prefecture has been most dire [21][22][23][24][25][26]. To achieve Goals 3 and 11 simultaneously, in the near future, administration must make a move to mitigate the damage by means of municipal consolidations.…”

“…It should be noted here that as in other Asian countries such as India, Burma, Thailand, Lao, Taiwan, and China, Japan is far from unrelated to ethnic minority issues. Of the prefectures with extremely depopulated areas, particular emphasis is laid on Fukushima Prefecture that was damaged by the nuclear disaster on 11 March 2011 [21][22][23][24][25][26]. To achieve Goals 3 and 11 simultaneously, in the near future, administration must make a move to mitigate the damage by means of municipal consolidations.…”