After a catastrophic 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast of Japan in April 2011, a chain of events was set in motion leading to the release of several volatile radionuclides of Cs and I into the atmosphere due to explosions in three of the six reactor cores at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). This study shows the enrichment of stable Cs relative to other alkali metals at the surface soil samples collected from a 1m thick andisol at Mt. Daisen, Japan, roughly 700 Km SW from the FDNPP. Cs is not enriched in three surface soils collected from the Fukushima Prefecture outside the restricted area. The relative enrichment of Cs compared to other alkali metals show the potential of long-term fixation of radiocesium in these Mt. Daisen soils.

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.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Aug. 12, 2008). PDF text: xii, 86 p. : ill., music ; 2 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3297806. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

abstract: This research proposes that a cross-cultural disconnect exists between Japanese and American English in the realm of bodily functions used as metaphor. Perhaps nowhere is this notion illustrated more clearly than by a cartoon that was inspired by recent tragic events in Japan. In the afternoon of Friday, March 11, 2011, the northeast coast of Japan was struck by a massive earthquake and tsunami that caused immeasurable loss of life and property and catastrophic damage to the nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture. In the immediate wake of these events, Japanese artist Hachiya Kazuhiko, determined to make the situation comprehensible to children, created a cartoon in which he anthropomorphized the damaged Fukushima Daiichi reactor and likened the dangers associated with it to illness and bodily functions. This cartoon garnered considerable notoriety, both in Japan and abroad. The reactions of English speakers appeared to differ from those of Japanese speakers, suggesting the existence of a possible cross-cultural disconnect. This research into the reactions to the cartoon and other relevant literature (both in English and Japanese), viewed against federal regulations regarding the broadcast of "obscenity" in the United States, commentary on American society, and how the use of similar language in American cartoons is seen, clearly indicates that negative attitudes toward the use of bodily functions as metaphor exist in the United States, while the same usage is seen differently in Japan. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. English 2012

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster that occurred in March of 2011 has not only strongly affected the environment and economy in Japan; it has also impacted the social and psychological well-being of the people of Fukushima Prefecture. Radiation stigma was a problem for the survivors of the A-bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and those with mental health issues have occasionally been subject to discrimination and inadequate treatment. These appear to be similar issues facing those affected in Fukushima, according to news articles covering the nuclear disaster. In interviews conducted with Japanese citizens, it appears that although mental health problems do exist among those affected, mental health discrimination was not reported to be a problem. Some reported specific examples of radiation stigma, and many interviewees revealed that marriage discrimination could certainly become a problem in the future, particularly for women exposed to radiation.

Submitted by Almir Azevedo (barbio1313@gmail.com) on 2015-04-02T16:24:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DAYSE LÚCIA MORAES LIMA D.pdf: 15690639 bytes, checksum: d1939f1ee823b13d9cf8148b4f666b9f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-02T16:24:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DAYSE LÚCIA MORAES LIMA D.pdf: 15690639 bytes, checksum: d1939f1ee823b13d9cf8148b4f666b9f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-06-24 / O desastre nuclear de Fukushima, ocorrido em março de 2011, foi central para a crise que se instalou, desde então, no governo e na economia do Japão e ainda para a reativação, em termos globais, da persistente controvérsia sobre a energia nuclear. A abordagem do desastre pela mídia estendeu-se além da cobertura restrita do acidente, prováveis causas e consequências imediatas, e levou Fukushima e seus desdobramentos a ocupar, durante meses, lugar central nos noticiários sobre temas em economia, geopolítica, política energética e ambiental, tecnologia, sociologia das organizações, comunicação e política de informação. O material noticioso produzido por uma agência de notícias sobre o episódio foi utilizado neste trabalho para discutir o escopo da controvérsia nuclear, seu desenvolvimento e estabilização, que questionamentos estabelecem e que visões políticas refletem, evidenciando, a análise desse material, o processo de organização e seleção de informações, conduzido com o objetivo de definir os temas e as posições que alimentaram a retomada da controvérsia. A opção, tomada por esta pesquisa, de observar a controvérsia nuclear pelo foco das narrativas jornalísticas apoiou-se na perspectiva, já elaborada desde a década de 1980, de que fluxos de informação intensos, como os gerados pelo episódio de Fukushima, interferem potencialmente na percepção do risco relacionado a eventos similares (SLOVIC, 1987; KASPERSON et al, 1988; JASPER, 1988, 1992; KRIMSKY, 1992) e, consequentemente, na estabilização da controvérsia. Tal opção permitiu discutir as relações entre informação e comunicação, bem como verificar os processos de organização e seletividade da mídia, os quais, a nosso ver, podem explicar seu potencial para definir, ajustar o foco e fazer avançar uma controvérsia. Por outro lado, traduzindo forças conservadoras, defendemos que a comunicação institucional ou pública busca impedir o desenvolvimento de conflitos. / The nuclear disaster at the Fukushima power plant in March 2011 was a central event in the crisis beginning in the government and economy of Japan and leading to a worldwide controversy on the use of the nuclear energy. The approach taken by the media went beyond the usual news broadcasting, reporting causes and immediate consequences and placing Fukushima and its developments, for several months, at central stage place in the news on economy, geopolitics, energy and environmental policy, technology, sociology of organizations, communication and information policy. The news produced by one of the news agencies about the disaster were used in this work to present the kernel of the nuclear controversy, its development and stabilization, taking into account questions and different policies, highlighting the organization process, toward the definition of issues and positions that have led to the resurgence of the controversy. The choice of this work to explore the nuclear controversy through the TV broadcasting news is based on the perspectives, already explored in the 1980's, on the intense information flux such as happened at Fukushima disaster, to interfere on the risk perception related to similar events (SLOVIC, 1987; KASPERSON et al, 1988; JASPER, 1988, 1992; KRIMSKY, 1992), and therefore on the controversy stabilization. It allowed to discuss the relationship between information and communication, and how to verify the processes of broadcasting organization and selectivity. It can explain its potentiality to define, adjust the focus and spread a controversy. On the other hand, explaining the conservative forces, we defend that the institutional or public communication tend to avoid the conflict development.

This study examines a genre of Japanese popular music known as enka, and the manner in which devotees of the genre and other stakeholders approach and negotiate with it. Previous academic examinations of enka have tended to locate it as a static musical embodiment of nostalgic ‘Japaneseness’. Relying upon field observations and discussions with enka devotees carried out in Tokyo and Fukushima, I argue that enka are in fact intensely ambiguous, and that the genre ultimately serves as a shelter for historically-specific listeners, one that is deeply implicated in the production of subjectivity and the social. Depending upon the manner in which they intertwine with other ‘texts’ in the listener’s life, enka can act as a homogenizing agent, or as a conduit for heterogeneity and movement – or both. This research will contribute to the advancement of our understanding both contemporary Japanese society and the role of popular music within it. / Graduate

Suite aux séismes et au tsunami qui ont frappé les côtes japonaises le 11 mars 2011, d’importantes quantités de radionucléides ont été émises par la centrale de Fukushima Dai-Ichi. Une part non négligeable (20%) du radiocésium rejeté s’est ensuite déposée sur les sols de la Préfecture de Fukushima. Cette étude vise à développer des méthodes de traçage sédimentaire originales afin de comprendre la dispersion des particules contaminées. L’étude se concentre sur 3 bassins versants côtiers situés au nord de la centrale (bassins de la Mano – 175 km², Niida – 270 km² et Ota – 75 km²) et drainant la partie la plus contaminée du panache de pollution radioactive. Cette région connaît un climat particulièrement érosif, avec des crues printanières et le passage de typhons entre juin et octobre. Pour étudier la dispersion de la contamination radioactive initiale, des sols et des laisses de crues ont été collectés au cours de 6 campagnes de terrain (organisées tous les 6 mois entre novembre 2011 et mai 2014 après les crues printanières et les typhons estivaux). L’activité des principaux radionucléides a été mesurée par spectrométrie gamma et une sélection d’échantillons a également été analysée par activation neutronique afin de déterminer leur teneur en une vingtaine d’éléments. L’analyse de l’activité en 137Cs dans 10 carottes de sols collectées dans des rizières a confirmé la faible migration du césium en profondeur dans les sols de la région. Plus de 90 % de la contamination étaient concentrés dans les 2 cm superficiels des sols en novembre 2013. Cette contamination située à la surface du sol reste donc potentiellement mobilisable par l’érosion. Par ailleurs, la détection d’argent-110 métastable (110mAg) et le fait que ce radioisotope ait un comportement similaire à celui du césium, ont permis de l’utiliser pour tracer la dispersion de la contamination dans le bassin versant de la Niida. En effet, le rapport d’activités 110mAg/137Cs dans les sols de ce bassin est significativement différent à l’amont et à l’aval de celui-ci. L’utilisation de ce rapport et d’un modèle de mélange binaire a permis d’identifier l’occurrence de cycles d’érosion et de dispersion saisonniers de la contamination. Cependant, 110mAg ayant une demi-vie de 250 jours, il a rapidement décru et l’activité est devenue inférieure aux limites de détection à compter de mai 2013. Pour pallier sa disparition, la contribution des sols des plateaux montagneux aux sédiments transitant dans la plaine côtière a été quantifiée à partir de leur signature en 137Cs. En utilisant un modèle de mélange binaire basé sur les distributions du 137Cs à l’amont (> 20 kBq/m²) et à l’aval (< 20 kBq/m²) des bassins versants, les résultats montrent que la contribution de la zone amont diffère en fonction du bassin versant. Elle fournit une part non négligeable (≈46%) des sédiments à la rivière Niida, qui est dépourvue de barrage, à la différence de la rivière Mano (≈20 %) qui en est équipée. Ces résultats montrent donc l’impact de ce type d’ouvrage qui génère une dysconnectivité sédimentaire. Afin de préciser l’origine spatiale des sédiments contaminés transportés par ces rivières, la carte des sols des bassins versants a été utilisée. Les principaux types de sols (Andosols, Cambisols et Fluvisols) ont été caractérisés par leurs teneurs en éléments chimiques, et Sc et Yb se sont révélés être le couple d’éléments le plus discriminant. Les distributions de ces deux éléments dans les trois sources ont ensuite été utilisées dans un modèle de mélange. Les résultats montrent une contribution majoritaire (> 70 %) des Fluvisols dans les sédiments. La forte contribution de ce type de sol, que l’on trouve principalement dans les rizières, confirme donc l’érodabilité accrue de ces zones agricoles. Pour poursuivre ces travaux, l’ensemble des données acquises pourrait être utilisé pour améliorer les modèles d’érosion des sols opérant à l’échelle des bassins versants. / Large quantities of radionuclides were released into the atmosphere by the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) after the earthquake-triggered tsunami devastated the eastern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. Many of these radionuclides (20%) were deposited on soils of the Fukushima Prefecture. This PhD thesis develops original fingerprinting methods to track the dispersion of contaminated particles following this accident. The study focuses on 3 coastal catchments north of the FDNPP (Mano — 175km², Niida — 270km² and Ota — 75km²) draining heavily contaminated areas of the radioactive plume. The Fukushima Prefecture is characterized by an erosive climate, with the occurrence of spring floods and summer typhoons. To study the dispersion of the radioactive contamination, soil samples and sediment drape deposits were collected during 6 sampling campaigns (every six months between November 2011 and May 2014; i.e., after the major flood events). Each sample was analyzed by gamma spectrometry to determine radionuclide activities, and several soil and sediment samples were also analyzed by neutron activation analysis to determine their geochemistry. First, the analysis of 137Cs activity in 10 soil cores collected in paddy fields confirmed the limited migration of radiocesium with depth in the soils of the coastal catchments. More than 90% of the contamination was still concentrated in the uppermost 2cm of the soils by November 2013. Particles contaminated were therefore available for mobilization and transport downstream by processes that govern soil erosion. Second, metastable silver-110 (110mAg) was detected in most of the samples collected between November 2011 and November 2012, and our investigation showed that this radionuclide has a similar behavior as 137Cs in soil and sediment. Consequently, we used 110mAg to track the dispersion of the contamination as the 110mAg/137Cs activity ratio in soils of the Niida catchment showed significant differences between upstream and downstream locations. The use of a binary mixing model allowed the identification of a seasonal cycle of erosion and dispersion of particles. However, as 110mAg has a short half-life (250 days), it rapidly decayed and could not be detected anymore by May 2013. To overcome its disappearance, the contribution of soils located on the mountainous plateaus to the sediment transiting the river in the coastal plains was quantified based on their 137Cs signature. Binary mixing models were used, based on the distributions of 137Cs in mountainous areas (> 20 kBq/m²) and in coastal plains (< 20 kBq/m²). The results demonstrated that the contribution of the mountainous area varied in the different catchments. In the Niida catchment where no dam has been built, the mountainous area supplies more sediment to the river (≈46%) than in the Mano catchment that has a dam (≈20%). These results show the impact of dams generating a sediment disconnectivity. Finally, the soil map of the region was used in order to identify the soil types that may supply sediment to the rivers. The main soil types (Andosols, Cambisols and Fluvisols) were characterized by their geochemical composition, and Sc and Yb were identified as the most discriminant elements. The distributions of these elements in the three sources were used in a mixing model. Results show that Fluvisols are the main source supplying >70% of sediment to the rivers in both catchments. This soil type is mainly found in paddy fields, which confirms the enhanced erodibility of these cultivated areas. In the future, the dataset compiled could be used to improve soil erosion model operating at the catchment scale. Moreover, the impact of the ongoing decontamination works on the dispersion of contaminated sediments should be investigated.

Submitted by Priscilla Araujo (priscilla@ibict.br) on 2015-11-25T18:58:36Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 21267 bytes, checksum: 73e23c2acaaf13389e092bd813e3223d (MD5) DAYSE_TESEmax.pdf: 41431675 bytes, checksum: 1a280b3392c43d174bce18ee1a15aff9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-11-25T18:58:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 21267 bytes, checksum: 73e23c2acaaf13389e092bd813e3223d (MD5) DAYSE_TESEmax.pdf: 41431675 bytes, checksum: 1a280b3392c43d174bce18ee1a15aff9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-06-24 / O desastre nuclear de Fukushima, ocorrido em março de 2011, foi central para a crise que se instalou, desde então, no governo e na economia do Japão e ainda para a reativação, em termos globais, da persistente controvérsia sobre a energia nuclear. A abordagem do desastre pela mídia estendeu-se além da cobertura restrita do acidente, prováveis causas e consequências imediatas, e levou Fukushima e seus desdobramentos a ocupar, durante meses, lugar central nos noticiários sobre temas em economia, geopolítica, política energética e ambiental, tecnologia, sociologia das organizações, comunicação e política de informação. O material noticioso produzido por uma agência de notícias sobre o episódio foi utilizado neste trabalho para discutir o escopo da controvérsia nuclear, seu desenvolvimento e estabilização, que questionamentos estabelecem e que visões políticas refletem, evidenciando, a análise desse material, o processo de organização e seleção de informações, conduzido com o objetivo de definir os temas e as posições que alimentaram a retomada da controvérsia. A opção, tomada por esta pesquisa, de observar a controvérsia nuclear pelo foco das narrativas jornalísticas apoiou-se na perspectivajá elaborada desde a década de 1980, de que fluxos de informação intensos, como os gerados pelo episódio de Fukushima, interferem potencialmente na percepção do risco relacionado a eventos similares (SLOVIC, 1987; KASPERSON et al, 1988; JASPER, 1988, 1992; KRIMSKY, 1992) e, consequentemente, na estabilização da controvérsia. Tal opção permitiu discutir as relações entre informação e comunicação, bem como verificar os processos de organização e seletividade da mídia, os quais, a nosso ver, podem explicar seu potencial para definir, ajustar o foco e fazer avançar uma controvérsia. Por outro lado, traduzindo forças conservadoras, defendemos que a comunicação institucional ou pública busca impedir o desenvolvimento de conflitos. / The nuclear disaster at the Fukushima power plant in March 2011 was a central event in the crisis beginning in the government and economy of Japan and leading to a worldwide controversy on the use of the nuclear energy. The approach taken by the media went beyond the usual news broadcasting, reporting causes and immediate consequences and placing Fukushima and its developments, for several months, at central stage place in the news on economy, geopolitics, energy and environmental policy, technology, sociology of organizations, communication and information policy. The news produced by one of the news agencies about the disaster were used in this work to present the kernel of the nuclear controversy, its development and stabilization, taking into account questions and different policies, highlighting the organization process, toward the definition of issues and positions that have led to the resurgence of the controversy. The choice of this work to explore the nuclear controversy through the TV broadcasting news is based on the perspectives, already explored in the 1980's, on the intense information flux such as happened at Fukushima disaster, to interfere on the risk perception related to similar events (SLOVIC, 1987; KASPERSON et al, 1988; JASPER,1988, 1992; KRIMSKY, 1992), and therefore on the controversy stabilization. It allowed to discuss the relationship between information and communication, and how to verify the processes of broadcasting organization and selectivity. It can explain its potentiality to define, adjust the focus and spread a controversy. On the other hand, explaining the conservative forces, we defend that the institutional or public communication tend to avoid the conflict development.

This study uses a mixed-method approach to analyse the coverage of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan’s two major English-language newspapers – The Japan Times and The Daily Yomiuri. Quantitative coding is combined with critical discourse analysis to determine whether the coverage was, overall, predominantly alarming, reassuring, or relatively balanced and neutral. This is done to ascertain whether the newspapers were sensationalising the crisis, echoing the official government and industry communication thereof, or reporting in a critical, responsible manner as the fourth estate. To answer the research question, key aspects of the coverage like foci, framing, sources, narratives, actors and agency, and criticisms are closely examined. It is revealed that the coverage was neither predominantly alarming nor reassuring, but was problematic in other ways. The implications of the complex findings, both for the Japanese media industry and international disaster reporting, are discussed. The study is situated in a broad literature framework that draws on agenda setting theory, research about the roles and responsibilities of the media, the field of risk communication and the reporting of radiation events in history. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication)