Formation of a Community Around a Nuclear Establishment : Spectrum Thinking of Local Residents After the Tokaimura Criticality Accident

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K02133
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08010:Sociology-related
• Research Institution: University of Hyogo
• Principal Investigator: Yamamuro Atsushi 兵庫県立大学, 地域資源マネジメント研究科, 教授 (90352286)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 原子力施設立地点 / 生活保全 / コミュニティ / スペクトラム思考 / 生活の場の再創造

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research took up the conflict over the installation of low-level radioactive waste incinerator equipment (hereafter, the “incinerator project”) by JCO Co., a nuclear fuel processing company in Tokai Village, Ibaraki Prefecture. I examined how the residents coped and overcame the divide that arose from the incinerator project, forming a new community in the process.There was a formation of a new community which has at its base the four neighborhood associations surrounding JCO and provides a mechanism for these constituencies to express their views based on spectrum thinking.The community has incorporated itself as a legitimate player into JCO’s decision-making process, and earned a degree of voice and authority through the regular monitoring of the incineration operation. Therefore, it can contribute to the future well-being of the residents’ lives.

Free Research Field

環境社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

原子力施設立地点で暮らす人々の生活保全の活路をどこに見いだし、それをどう切りひらけるかに関する社会科学的研究では、原子力政策の転換条件や代替政策を探究する政策論のみならず、原子力事業者の意思決定に一定の影響力をもちうる地域コミュニティのあり方についての議論も必要なはずだが、この点についての研究は十分ではなかった。その意味で本研究が、住民主導で形成され地元の原子力事業者に一定の決定権を行使した地域コミュニティの形成条件を明らかにしたことは、原子力城下町化した地域の変革にかかわる研究の地平を広げるとともに、立地点自治体の施策や地元住民の社会実践にも資するといえる。