This paper analyzes the effects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster on Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO) electricity load using alternative event study methodology. The data set includes TEPCO’s published hourly loads from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2011. Four time series regressions are used to analyze the disaster’s effect on TEPCO’s load curve at an hourly and aggregate level. By examining the hourly impacts of the disaster, this paper provides commentary on the effects of the disaster on the daily load curve, finding transition periods to be the time of day that is most targeted for decreases in electricity consumption. The models control for temperature, population, time of day, week, month, and year, holidays, and trends. The results indicate a significant, negative relationship between the disaster and TEPCO’s electricity load. In addition to examining the effects of the disaster on the daily load curve, four event windows are analyzed, ranging from a week after the March 11, 2011 disaster to the end of the data set (December 31, 2011). These event windows are used to capture the short, medium, and long-term effects of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster on electricity load. These event window results combined with an analysis of the annual and disaster trend variables allow for commentary on the timeline for which TEPCO’s loads will reach pre-disaster levels. Additionally, the results provide insight into both the economic and political implications of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster both in Japan and worldwide.

The thesis of is to strengthen the capacity building of nuclear safety and disaster prevention all over the world from a preventive perspective, and to ensure zero probability of any nuclear disaster in the world. In the face of threat from skyrocketing fossil fuel prices and the pressure of GHG emission reduction, nuclear power generation, with its advantages on low carbon emission, has been valued once again. More and more countries have taken positive and active attitudes toward nuclear power generation, facilitating the development of it or adopting nuclear energy as a potential alternative energy option in the future. Through information sharing, knowledge dissemination and cross-organizational collaboration aim at assisting enery country in their capacity building of nuclear safety and nuclear disaster prevention, and to promote conformity of enery operation towards nuclear safety and disaster prevention. Thus we should seek to help to promote every country¡¦s public education and communication of nuclear safety and to contribute to energy security and sustainable development in the world.

This dissertation tracks the effects of state recognition across a series of vanishing and emerging social worlds in post-Fukushima Japan. Based upon two years of fieldwork, the dissertation focuses on ethnographic sites at which the failure of state subjectivization activates both a reinvigoration of state discourse, and the formation of counter-discourses within the temporality of Japan’s endless “postwar” (sengo). In so doing, the dissertation seeks to disclose the social violence and iteration of shame as it is mobilized by the state to produce an obedient subject – willing to die for the nation in war – and as the failure to conform precipitates alternate socialities that may be either opposed to or complicit with state interests. The ethnographic sites of which I write concentrate on: the compulsory enactment of propriety in public school ceremonies, and the refusal by teachers to stand for, bow to the “national flag” (kokki), and sing the “national anthem” (kokka), the self-same imperial symbols under which Japan conducted World War II; a group of Okinawan construction workers in the old day laborer district of Tokyo, Sanya; the stigmatized “radical” (kageki) leftist student organization, the Zengakuren; the “internet right-wing” (netto uyoku) group, the Zaittokai, whose street protests are performed live before a camera; and “Fukushima,” where the charge of guilt has short-circuited memories of the Japanese state sacrificing its citizens during World War II. As a foil for the remaining ethnographic sites, the obviousness of giving “respect” (sonchō) to state symbols in public school ceremonies discloses the formation of subjects in a constitutive misrecognition that eliminates – or kills – difference in the enactment of social totality. A veritable stain on which the Japanese state drive to war was dependent, the singular figure of the sitting teacher formed part and parcel of what rightist politicians referred to as the “negative legacy” (fu no rekishi) of World War II. S/he constituted the object of an overcoming that – alongside the Okinawan construction worker, the “radical” (kageki) leftist, the “resident foreigner” (zainichi) as object of Zaittokai hate speech, and “Fukushima” – at once marked the ground of intensification and failure of state discourse. For the graduation ceremony of March, 2012, the official number of teachers who refused to stand and sing fell to “1” in Tokyo, where the state employs 63,000 teachers. With neither family ties, romantic involvements, nor social recognition that would confirm their masculinity, the vanishing day laborers of Sanya made all the more insistent reference to the trope of otoko or ‘man.’ Closely articulated with the mobster world of the yakuza with which many workers had connections, the repetition of masculinity in work, gambling, and fighting constituted a discourse that repulsed the shaming gaze of general society. Thus, the excessive life-style of the otoko was located at the constitutive margins of the social bond of propriety, where he also provided a dying reserve army of labor that could be mobilized to undertake the most undesirable tasks, such as work at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Echoing the death of Sanya, the Zengakuren numbered in the tens of thousands in the 1960s and 1970s, but had dwindled to under 100 active members in 2012. While the anti-war “strike” (sutoraiki) constituted the apotheosis of the Zengakuren discourse, their espousal and shameless mandate of “violent” (bōryoku) revolution subverted the origins of the Zengakuren into a prohibitive discourse which replicated the form of state rhetoric, and demanded the eradication of the Stalinist from within their own ranks. No less shameless than the Zengakuren, the emergent hate speech of the “internet right-wing” (netto uyoku) iterated state discourse among the working poor. Having grown from 500 to 10,000 members within only four years, the Zaittokai’s notorious hate speech aspired to the instantaneous effect of “killing” (korosu) another legacy of World War II: the “resident foreigner” (zainichi). Yet, replicating online forms of writing, the iterability of their performative triggered repetition, and in a shamelessness specific to cyberspace – in which the reciprocity of the gaze and shame were lacking – the Zaittokai directed their paranoid speech at the state, whose representatives were said to be controlled by zainichi. Lastly, “Fukushima” marked the apogee of the effectivity and failures of the state in containing both the excesses of capitalism, and the “negative legacy” (fu no rekishi) of World War II, the memories of which were short-circuited by radioactive outpour.

This thesis examines the news coverage of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis that devastated the country of Japan in March 2011 from a comparative standpoint. Drawing on the key concepts in the theory of social constructionism and frame analysis, the series of studies in this thesis comparatively examines how cultures and value systems factored into the process of news production, dissemination and consumption when it comes to the news stories on what the Japanese government officially named the Great East Japan Earthquake. The first section looks at how Japan and its people were portrayed amid disaster relief efforts and analyzes how culture itself has become the topic of discussion and part of reality construction. The second section, on frame analysis, focuses on the workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, often called the Fukushima 50 by the Western media, and examines the cultural characteristics that contributed to the observable discrepancies in the ways they were represented by the Japanese media and their Western counterparts. The third study aims to shed light on the environment surrounding today’s foreign correspondents and international news reporting in the context of Japan, investigating what factors influence the ways journalist go about reporting and framing their versions of realities. The fourth section attempts to deconstruct the news narratives in terms of risk communication by paying particular attention to how people reacted to the coverage of potential dangers of radiation leaks as well as the tsunami warnings in Tohoku area. In the end, the series of studies described above underlines how cultural factors significantly affected the ways in which the journalists covered Japan in 2011 as well as the ways news audiences understood what was going on. The thesis argues that there are two types of cultural faming that contributed greatly to the social construction of realities in the aftermath of the triple disasters. The first type of cultural framing was observed when reporters consistently made the culture of Japan and its supposedly “unique” values as the main frame of news narratives. It often implied that the Japanese culture was somewhat exotic or alien through foreign eyes. The second type of cultural framing was observed when the cultural dispositions of journalists and audience framed the potential risk such as the incoming tsunami and the vital newsmakers such as workers in Fukushima Daiichi using familiar cultural molds. The finding accentuated the intricacy and precarious nature of “realities” in news reports. The research also indicated that when cultural factors in news process dictate and determine the focal point of reality perception, they tend to bring about racial discussions and stereotypical images in narratives. / published_or_final_version / Sociology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This master thesis deals with ethical issues of evacuation around the Fukushima nuclear plant. Taking into account that the evacuation takes place mostly in tense situations as a result of an extreme incident, it is essential that the process of evacuation is effectively managed, organized and executed. It is also necessary to ensure effective communication between all involved departments and residents. Evacuation must be well managed, not only on the technical side, but also on the ethical and moral side. In the practical part of the thesis some questions were raised, which surveyed: a) What ethical principles have been applied in dealing with evacuation and communication with residents? b) What alternatives in the ethical approach can be used? c) Can an applied ethics be used in crisis management? During evacuation in Fukushima and afterwards during communication with residents, affected by the effects of the accident, the government used a paternalistic way of issuing commands and decided what information the residents need to know. According to the testimonies of residents, the information was insufficient, inaccurate and in some areas in the early hours of the accident there wasn´t any information at all. On the question of alternatives in ethical approach, we can use instead of already mentioned paternalistic way, democratic or more autonomous approach. That, however, brings with it demands on all concerned as are operators of nuclear power plants, people from crisis management and radiation protection, state and finally residents themselves. It is about the involvement of all as equal partners, about openness, truthfulness, honesty, about increasing knowledge and awareness of radiation protection. The usage of applied ethics in crisis management is possible, but requires a changeover in the personal approach of all concerned people. First of the objectives of the study was to compare the paternalistic and democratic approach in providing information to the population and issuing orders to evacuation. I compared paternalistic and democratic way, and I came to the conclusion that it is necessary to find an appropriate level of application of these two methods. The second objective was to describe the criteria applied in Fukushima evacuation with regard to the amount of radiation exposure and differentiation of the population. In terms of the amount received by the exposure of the affected population was the largest part of the population evacuated before the release of radionuclides into the air and very positive it is that nobody died on the effects of radiation during the accident. The last goal of thesis was to find out what is the view of current residents in Czech Republic and those who work in emergency management and are responsible for the progress of evacuation or work in a sphere related to radiation activities, which provide various information and deal with the issue of long-term evacuation during a nuclear accident. Data were collected by prepared questionnaire, which contained nine closed questions. Questions were given to the residents presented at the time of the questionnaire survey on the streets in randomly picked villages and also through e-mail. Responses were graphically expressed as a numerical value and verbal evaluation and respondents' answers are commented in the discussion. The thesis can be used to implement ethical principles not only in crisis management, but also in the beginning of designing and building nuclear power plants in the region. The entire process of the formation and operation of nuclear power plants has not only a technical dimension, but also ethical. Thesis can be also used as study material for teaching on the field of emergency preparedness, which can extend the technical knowledge of the ethical dimension, which, as it turned out in Fukushima is also very important.

"Representation of nuclear energy in media in the period before and after the accident in Fukushima" This master's thesis examines media representation of nuclear energy within one year before and one year after the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. The sample of news was selected from the print edition of the two main Czech dailies - MF Dnes and Právo. The method used in the thesis is content analysis. In the first part, some of the main theories of media studies (agenda setting, stereotypes, framing, and moral panic) and mechanisms which single news are constructed by (news values, access to news, primary defining, and gatekeeping) are introduced. In the second part, shift in both the focus of the media on the issue of nuclear energy and utilizing of the selected mechanisms of construction of the news is examined. In conclusion, the thesis identifies how the representation of the nuclear energy is constructed in the above said dailies over the period given before and after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The thesis deals with the knowledge of the population about the nuclear disaster at Fukushima in the Vysočina Region. The goal is to determine the level of knowledge of population about the accident and then compare the knowledge of people aged 18-44 years and older than 45 years. In the thesis were set two hypotheses, H1: the knowledge of the population in the nuclear accident will be close to normal distribution and H2: people under 45 years will have statisticly higher knowledge than older people. To achieve the setted goals and to test the hypotheses, a questionnaire was compiled and a survey was made. The results of the survey were evaluated by methods of descriptive and mathematical statistics. The questionnaire consisted of 11 questions. The survey consisted of 100 people aged 18-44 years and 100 people aged over 45 years. The results of the survey show that the overall percentage of correctly answered questions was 63,3 %, which can be considered slightly above average. 66,1 % of people aged 18-44 years answered the questions correctly and residents over the age of 45 years 60,6 % correctly. The set goals were achieved and both hypotheses were confirmed. The benefit of this thesis is to obtain a picture of knowledge of public in the nuclear disaster at Fukushima in the Vysočina Region. The results can also be used for crisis management authorities within the preparation and preventive educational activities focused on the issue of nuclear energy and radiation protection.

The roles that universities played in the response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster were significant and varied; however, there was limited study on participating graduate students. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of disaster response on graduate students' personal and academic development. This study examined research questions about the perceived impact on academic and personal identity development. Empowerment, cognitive content engagement, general systems theory, and utilitarianism formed the theoretical foundation. This study used a transcendental phenomenological approach to examine the subjects' experiences in the context of involvement in disaster response. The primary source of data was semiopen interviews with individuals that were publicly recruited graduate students at the time of their involvement in the Fukushima nuclear disaster response; data were triangulated with interviews from faculty supervisors. Analyzing the data resulted in the themes of predisaster normality, proximal impact, stress, perception of foreignness, relationships, breakdowns in relationships, change, new relationships, and religion. Interpreting these themes, it was determined that proximity played a role in the decision to engage in the response effort. Furthermore, identification with victims increased the stress of participants. While the experience was empowering, caution is necessary. Further research is recommended into disaster recovery, the role of interpreters in disaster response, and the role of universities in disaster infrastructure. This information can promote social change by enabling graduate students and gatekeepers to better understand potential outcomes for incorporating graduate students into disaster infrastructure.

This dissertation examines how logics of financial securitization and heteropatriarchy have shaped the production of surplus populations in reconstruction policies from the TEPCO Fukushima nuclear disaster in post-2011 Japan. Through multi-sited fieldwork with nuclear subcontractors, labor organizers, anti-irradiation mothers, and state-recognized nuclear evacuees, it elucidates nuclear reconstruction and remediation efforts more broadly as projects that resecure financial and affective investments in nuclear imperialism and colonialism through the disciplining of communities exposed to radioactive fallout. Each chapter examines nuclear reconstruction through the partial construction of archetypes of positions within the geography of nuclear reconstruction. Through this method, an analysis emerges of how reconstruction policies and their justification through risk communication discourses of “harmful rumor” reproduce the conditions of the nuclear industry in Japan, disciplining the irradiated through a racialized domesticity imposed by American imperialism, the reproduction of an eco-eugenic heteropatriarchal organization of value, and through systems of labor brokerage inherited from Japanese colonial production. The form of the dissertation and its inclusion of autoethnographic reflections argues for a feminist transgender mode of anthropology that centers the fragmentation of anthropology, the ethnographer’s body, and classical constructions of “the field.” Through the use of poetry, translation, archives from workplace struggle, work from local historians and economists, American Studies, Anthropology, and Japanese Studies, it aims to normalize a way of doing anthropology that is characterized by the splitting of the voice, disruption, and ethnographic refusal.

本研究以福島核災期間的新聞報導為分析對象，透過兩階段的新聞內容分析，比較福島核災發生當月以及週年前夕的新聞報導。研究發現越接近福島核災週年，媒體關注越高；福島核災後一個月內的新聞以因應框架為主，一年後的主要框架則轉為衝突及人情趣味框架；福島核災週年的報導戲劇化程度較一年以前為高，而兩階段共同的缺點則為消息來源過於單一化。本研究檢視福島核災報導的優點及未盡之處，以提供實務上諸多參考。 / This thesis attempts to analyze the news reports of Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. By comparing the news coverage between March 11 and April 10 2011, and February 12 and March 11 2012, we found when the anniversary of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster approaching, the amount of news reports gradually increased. The dominant frame of the first stage of this study is the strategy frame, and the second stage are the conflict frame and the human interest frame. This study also found the amount of the dramatic style of coverage in the second stage is higher than that in the first stage. And the shortcoming of both the two stage is the lack of diversity of the sources.