Dialogue, radiation measurements and other collaborative practices by experts and residents in the former evacuation areas of Fukushima: A case study in Yamakiya District, Kawamata Town

Abstract

This paper describes the involvement of the residents of the Yamakiya district of the Kawamata town, a former evacuation area after the accident of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), in the on-going research activities of the authors on the behaviour of radioactive caesium in the environment. By relying on dialogue, measuring radiation, and other collaborative practices, this involvement enabled a series of actions to be taken to resolve the challenges related to the recovery after the lifting of the evacuation order that were appreciated by the residents. The paper also discusses the effects of the interactive program led by the Yamakiya School organized by the authors in cooperation with the residents including among others lectures, voluntary works and radiological surveys on local issues. Based on the above, the authors make recommendations on the desirable form of relationship between residents and experts after an event of large-scale environmental pollution including radiological contamination. Through these activities the authors have also gradually changed their research approach.

Examples of practical activities related to public understanding of radiation risk following the Fukushima nuclear accident

“…In the postaccident situation in Fukushima, both the top-down and bottom-up approaches certainly were taken and both played important roles in improving the PU of radiation risks. The involvement of Nagasaki University with Kawauchi village (Takamura et al, 2018), a community-based participatory radiation measurement in Yamakiya (Yasutaka et al, 2020), and individual dose measurements designed by institutional researchers (Naito et al, 2016) can be categorized as examples of the top-down approach. While there have been numerous top-down practices, including examples presented here, the selected examples are unique in that these activities are long lasting and have been adapted to changing circumstances.…”

“…While there have been numerous top-down practices, including examples presented here, the selected examples are unique in that these activities are long lasting and have been adapted to changing circumstances. Although the primary purpose of top-down approaches led by formal institutions or institutional scientists was to obtain scientific knowledge in the affected areas, in some cases the monitoring activities evolved into activities that contributed to solving local problems through close interaction with local residents rather than just acquiring radiation data by researchers (Yasutaka et al, 2020). Community-based radiation measurement studies conducted by the present authors (Naito et al, 2017) in the affected areas in Fukushima met the needs of the local residents and helped them to understand the actual radiological situations in their living environment and their own radiation exposure.…”

Factors affecting resumption of forest or satoyama usage by former evacuees following their return after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

“…The study site was the Yamakiya district, Kawamata town, Fukushima Prefecture, about 40 km northwest of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The main industry before the accident was agriculture, involving tobacco, flower, and rice cultivation (Award, 1988;Yasutaka et al, 2020). The population in March 2011, just before the accident, was about 1300 (Kawamata town, https://www.town.kawamata.lg.jp/site/sinsaisaigai/yamakiyatikukyojyuujyoukyou.html).…”

“…On 31 March 2017, the evacuation order was lifted. As of 1 July 2020, approximately 350 people have returned (Kawamata town, https://www.town.kawamata.lg.jp/site/sin sai-saigai/yamakiyatikukyojyuujyoukyou.html), and many of them are elderly (Yasutaka et al, 2020). Currently, the production of flowers has recovered to the level before the accident, and rice farming has also resumed aggressively.…”

“…Environmental surveys were conducted in the district, with the cooperation of the local residents, and in doing so, relationships were developed between them and the authors. This relationship was developed through cooperation in activities, including working together on farming activities, performing radioactivity measurements of residents' agricultural products, and conducting study workshops regarding radiation in the environment (Schneider et al, 2019;Yasutaka et al, 2020). In this study, we conducted the interviews to survey the residents' views on these relationships.…”