Interview Research on Victims of the Fukushima No.1 Nuclear power Plant Disaster

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K11941
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 震災問題と人文学・社会科学
• Research Institution: Meiji Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: GILL ThomasP. 明治学院大学, 国際学部, 教授 (50323655)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 福島 / 原発事故 / 被災者 / 避難者 / 東日本大震災 / 飯舘村 / 長泥行政区 / 損害賠償

Outline of Final Research Achievements

After making over 50 fieldtrips to Fukushima, I have acquired a cloe understanding of the situation facing evacuees from the nuclear didastr, especially the inhabitants of Nagadoro, a small hamlet in Iitate village which remains evacuated more than eight years after the disaster. These people have lost heir hometown and their community has been scattered around Fukushima city and neighboring townships. At the same time they have acquired significant wealth as a result of compensation payments from Tokyo Electric Power. Many conceal their place of origin in their new domiciles, for two reasons (1) unscientific fear of contamination by radiation from contact with evacuees ; and (2) discrimination growing out of the jealousy felt by locals over the large compensation payments.
Despite all these stress, Nagadoro people still maintain a form of community through communications by mobile phone etc.

Free Research Field

社会人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

福島原発事故に関する研究の多くは政治色が強い。事故を起こした東京電力や政府の責任を強調しながら被災者を単に「被害者」として描くことができる。ところが、被災者の中でも経験が様々であり、中には、賠償金のおかげで生活水準が事故の前と比べてかなり良くなってきた。だからと言って「問題解決」というわけではなく、故郷喪失、放射能恐怖の差別、賠償金に対する妬み差別という根強い問題が残る。今回一つの小さな共同体に集中したが、すぐ近くに全く運命が異なる共同体が存在している。しかし当事者に共感しながら、問題の全体図を客観的に分析することは今回のプロジェクトの主な学術的・社会的な意味があると主張できる理由である。