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Contents Introduction March-June June-Sept. Sept.-Dec. Conclusion

In the days immediately following the earthquake, the impact of the earthquake, tsunami, and the nuclear disaster were initially assumed to be unforeseeable. The early response from the scientific community indicated that geological activity and resulting tsunami were beyond the scope of anything that could have been expected for the region based on previous data (Newman). Generally speaking, Japan's level of earthquake preparedness is very high. They had built extensive seawalls to shield the coast from tsunamis. They were assumed to be sufficient for the range of earthquakes anticipated for the area, so little work had been focused on building structures that could withstand tsunami waters. The tsunami was read as a wake-up call, not only for Japan, but for all coastal communities in areas prone to seismic activity that might lead to similar tsunamis (Dengler). Consequently, it was assumed that Fukushima's nuclear meltdowns were the result of the unanticipated tsunami. However, as the story continued to unfold, more and more evidence accumulated indicating that regulation of the Fukushima facility had been far too lax. Prior to the earthquake, Fukushima had a history of accidents and mismanagement that had been largely concealed from the public, and experts were already aware of the vulnerability of the plant to a major earthquake years before the March 11, 2011 disaster (Nakamura and Kikuchi). 

In the wake of Fukushima's nuclear disaster, Japan faces the question of what role nuclear power will continue to play in Japan's future. In June, 2011 Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced a plan to phase out the use of nuclear power plants in Japan altogether. Fourteen of Japan's nuclear reactors were shut down due to damage during the earthquake, and by May, 2011 a total of 33 of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors had been shut down (Takubo). By the end of August, over three quarters of the nuclear reactors had been shut down, but the new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has already delayed the time-line for phasing out reliance on nuclear energy to 40 years (Diggs). There is still significant political inertia regarding the reliance on nuclear facilities, and as administrations change and time distances the memory of disaster, it is uncertain if commitment to a nuclear free future will persist.

Anti-Nuclear Power Plant Rally on 19 September 2011 at Meiji Shrine Outer Garden

It is puzzling how Japan, as the only country to have faced the consequences of nuclear war, could have developed such lax policies toward nuclear regulation (Nakamura and Kikuchi). Alex Kerr, a long time foreign resident of Japan, suggested that Japan's lax nuclear policies have been indicative of a larger environmental policy that persistently pushes toward technological progress at any price. He further points out a tendency for the Japanese government and media to promote tatemae, an official stated position that is intent on promoting social harmony. In order to maintain harmony, the government frequently downplays bad news (Kerr). In the face of the Fukushima, it seems that the Japanese government may have pushed the policy too far to maintain a sense of public trust. Many Japanese citizens no longer feel that they can believe what they are told, at least regarding nuclear issues.

The future is always an unknown. But the sense of uncertainty is further compounded when people are left with the feeling that they cannot even decipher the present. For many, life has resumed a sense of normality, however, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns have shaken an elemental sense of security in Japan. Whether the Japanese public responds to this uncertainty constructively or not is yet to be seen.

List of Visuals

1. Map of the Sendai Earthquake 2011 and aftershocks until March 14, 2011 at 11:20. The size of the circles is a function of magnitude, and the color indicates the date: light green: March 11; yellow: March 12; orange: March 13; red: March 14.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Sendai_Earthquake_2011.jpg
   Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

2. A March 16, 2011, satellite image of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's four damaged reactor buildings.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fukushima_I_by_Digital_Globe.jpg
   Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

3. An SH-60B helicopter assigned to the Chargers of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron (HS) 14 from Naval Air Facility Atsugi flies over the port of Sendai to deliver more than 1,500 pounds of food to survivors of an 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami. The citizens of Ebina City, Japan, donated the food, and HS-14 is supporting earthquake and tsunami relief operations in Japan as directed.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SH-60B_helicopter_flies_over_Sendai.jpg
   Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

4. People stay close to the heater at a shelter at Yamada town in Iwate prefecture on March 16, 2011. The official toll of the dead and missing following a devastating earthquake and tsunami that flattened Japan's northeast coast has topped 11,000, with 3,676 confirmed dead.
   STR/AFP/Getty Images, taken from ProQuest's eLibrary

5. Graph of radiation release from the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, compared to historic events and standards. Updated to show time series geographical effects, local site map, and news reporting.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fukushima7.png
   Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

6. Radiation doses for March-April 2011 from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster from combined results of 211 flight hours of aerial monitoring operations and ground measurements made by DOE, DoD and Japanese monitoring teams.
   http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NIT_Combined_Flights_Ground_Measurements_30Mar_03Apr2011_results.jpg
   Wikimedia Commons

7. Emergency housing under construction in Shichigahama, Japan, after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Temporary_housings_for_tsunami_evacuees_in_Shichigahama.jpg
   Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

8. Anti-Nuclear Power Plant Rally on 19 September 2011 at Meiji Shrine Outer Garden in Shibuya, Japan.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Anti-Nuclear_Power_Plant_Rally_on_19_September_2011_at_Meiji_Shrine_Outer_Garden_03.JPG
   Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

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