Fukushima Legacies: National Advocacy and Mothers Against Radiation

This Open-Access-book focuses on the legacies of post-Fukushima activism, which are linked to significant changes in Japan’s civil society. Thirteen years have passed since the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The Japanese government tries to convey the impression that Japan has fully recovered and regained a sense of normalcy. But Japan continues to grapple with the effects of the nuclear disaster, and the government’s plans are beginning to falter. Japan’s civil society, which has strengthened and accumulated legacies--such as established networks, shared scientific knowledge, and advocacy experience-- over a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, has been a key force of resistance to the government’s plans. Post-Fukushima activism has extended its repertoire and thereby firmly shaped various legacies for future social movements.
The book concentrates on the following three aspects that have not been thoroughly examined in previous research: The national advocacy of civil society organisations through a special type of legislation called a ’Diet member bill’; the backgrounds of mothers and other women mobilised for CSOs with a focus on advocacy; and the longevity of these CSOs.

Ayaka Löschke is a junior professor of Japanese Studies at the Institute for Languages and Cultures of the Middle East and East Asia at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. Her research focuses on social movements following the Fukushima nuclear disaster and societal responses to hate speech in Japan.