Title：Japan’s antinuclear movements after the Chernobyl disaster
Speaker：ANDO Takemasa (Professor, College of Sociology, Musashi University, Japan)
Host：Ming-Sho Ho（Distinguished Professor. Department of Sociology, NTU）
Time：2024/11/19（Tue.） 12:30-14:00
Venue：Department of Sociology and Social Work R319
About the Speech
Japanese antinuclear movements became active following the Fukushima disaster, which occurred after an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Many individuals took to the streets to advocate for changes in the government’s nuclear policy. It is ironic that this nuclear accident happened in Japan, a nation that had been victimized by atomic bombs during World War II. Despite this history, the Japanese government strongly promoted nuclear power until the disaster in 2011. This raises important questions: Where were Japanese antinuclear movements prior to the disaster?
It is worth noting that these movements gained momentum shortly after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. However, mobilization in the streets declined rapidly in the early 1990s. Following this decline, the Japanese government increased the number of nuclear plants until the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Why did antinuclear movements fail to prevent the Fukushima disaster? Drawing on discussions from my book, 『脱原発の運動史：チェルノブイリ、福島、そしてこれから』 (The History of Antinuclear Movements), I will explore these issues.
About the Speaker
ANDO Takemasa, professor, College of Sociology, Musashi University, Japan. He specializes in social movement study and Japan civil society.