An empirical study on the transmission and acceptance of risk reports of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K23273
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0108:Sociology and related fields
• Research Institution: Otsuma Women's University
• Principal Investigator: OKETA Atsushi 大妻女子大学, 文学部, 教授 (50848504)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-08-30 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: トリチウム水 / 風評被害 / 復興 / 第一原発事故

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, the treatment of contaminated water caused by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, "tritiated water" into the ocean, has become more concrete, and the actual situation of reputational damage to the fishery in Fukushima has been clarified. We conducted questionnaire surveys and interviews with residents of Fukushima and residents of Tokyo and Osaka, which are consumption areas.
As a result, there was a clear difference between the residents of Fukushima and the residents of Tokyo and Osaka in the willingness to purchase marine products produced in Fukushima, and it became clear that there was reputational damage from the perspective of Fukushima fishermen. In addition, the difference in purchasing motivation correlates with the difference in the amount of coverage of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, and it became clear that Tokyo, which has more reports of seriousness even nine years after the accident, is causing reputational damage.

Free Research Field

災害情報学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

福島で語られる「風評」は時として実態がなく捉えどころがない．消費地である東京や大阪において，福島県産特に魚介類を買わない理由として「放射能リスク」をあげる住民が多かったことは，福島県の漁業関係者からすれば「風評被害」である．また報道量が多いほど「風評被害」を生じさせていることが確認されたことは学術成果として大きい．こうした報道は主に福島発ではなく東京発のものであり，事故後10年を経ても第一原発事故の深刻さを物語る報道が多いことが理由である．
そういった意味では，福島が復興に向かって着実に歩んでいることをあらゆるメディアを利用して国民や世界に伝える事の必要性が改めて浮き彫りになった．