Pablo Figueroa | Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (original) (raw)

Papers by Pablo Figueroa

Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 2018

Disasters in the Anthropocene highlight the destructive character of human-induced environmental ... more Disasters in the Anthropocene highlight the destructive character of human-induced environmental transformations. In contrast with the past, contemporary disasters are larger in scope and more socially complex. Populations are faced with increased vulnerability: existing structures cannot efficiently cope with the extreme events that shape the volatile landscapes of the 21st century. Of vital importance for policy making are questions of justice, as perceived injustices surrounding disaster governance can destabilize societal functioning. The 2011 tragic events in Japan may serve to illustrate this contention. The Tohoku Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima Daiichi are a paramount example of a compound disaster. The Fukushima debacle is ongoing and has highlighted issues of public trust, risk communication, nuclear risk governance, legal accountability, and moral responsibility; it has sparked multiple antinuclear protests and reshaped citizen movements; it has segregated a population of nuclear refugees through displacement and state invisibilization; and it has confronted local residents and governments with contentious choices regarding reconstruction in a contaminated environment. This debacle has taken place without an articulate consideration of disaster justice. In this article, I will discuss the most salient issues affecting the making and outcome of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in terms of government responses. For this analysis, I will utilize a heuristic frame of disaster justice to understand the particular types of issues that manifest in disaster contexts. This research is based on the analysis of documents, media, and reports and is also informed by ethnographic fieldwork conducted in northeastern Japan and Tokyo between 2011 and 2016.

GĞĠĢoōŏőǿ veēĕėęě rŕŗř nńņň aāăąǻ nńņň cćċč eēĕėęě aāăąǻ nńņň dďđ RŔŖŘiīĭį sśşș kķ CĆĊČ oōŏőǿ mm... more GĞĠĢoōŏőǿ veēĕėęě rŕŗř nńņň aāăąǻ nńņň cćċč eēĕėęě aāăąǻ nńņň dďđ RŔŖŘiīĭį sśşș kķ CĆĊČ oōŏőǿ mmuūŭůűų nńņň iīĭį cćċč aāăąǻ tţť iīĭį oōŏőǿ nńņň iīĭį nńņň Fuūŭůűų kķuūŭůűų sśşș hħiīĭį maāăąǻ : NŃŅŇoōŏőǿ tţť eēĕėęě sśşș frŕŗř oōŏőǿ m Miīĭį yŷỳaāăąǻ kķoōŏőǿ jiīĭį DĎĐEĒĔĖĘĚ VEĒĔĖĘĚ LĹĻĽĿ OŌŎŐǾPMEĒĔĖĘĚ NŃŅŇTŢŤ & SŚŞȘOŌŎŐǾCĆĊČIĪĬĮİ EĒĔĖĘĚ TŢŤYŶỲ : EĒĔĖĘĚnńņňeēĕėęě rŕŗř gğġģyŷỳ, GĞĠĢoōŏőǿveēĕėęě rŕŗř nńņňaāăąǻnńņňcćċčeēĕėęě , HĦeēĕėęě aāăąǻlĺļľŀ tţťț hħ, HĦuūŭůűų maāăąǻnńņň SŚŞȘeēĕėęě cćċčuūŭůűų rŕŗř iīĭį tţťț yŷỳ, RŔŖŘiīĭį sśşșkķ 2015•01•14 Paāăąǻblĺļľŀ oōŏőǿ Fiīĭį gğġģuūŭůűų eēĕėęě rŕŗř oōŏőǿaāăąǻ WŴẀẂẄaāăąǻ sśşș eēĕėęě dďđaāăąǻ UŪŬŮŰŲ nńņňiīĭį veēĕėęě rŕŗř sśşș iīĭį tţť yŷỳ SŚŞȘprŕŗř eēĕėęě aāăąǻdďđ aāăąǻlĺļľŀ oōŏőǿnńņňgğġģ aāăąǻ nńņňaāăąǻrŕŗř rŕŗř oōŏőǿwŵẁẃẅ meēĕėęě aāăąǻnńņňdďđeēĕėęě rŕŗř iīĭį nńņňgğġģ hħiīĭį gğġģhħwŵẁẃẅaāăąǻ yŷỳ iīĭį nńņň Fuūŭůűų kķuūŭůűų sśşșhħiīĭį maāăąǻ Prŕŗř eēĕėęě feēĕėęě cćċčtţťț uūŭůűų rŕŗř eēĕėęě kķnńņňoōŏőǿwŵẁẃẅnńņň aāăąǻsśşș NŃŅŇaāăąǻtţťț iīĭį oōŏőǿnńņňaāăąǻlĺļľŀ RŔŖŘoōŏőǿaāăąǻdďđ 288, Miīĭį yŷỳaāăąǻkķoōŏőǿjiīĭį viīĭį lĺļľŀ lĺļľŀ aāăąǻgğġģeēĕėęě hħaāăąǻsśşș aāăąǻ poōŏőǿpuūŭůűų lĺļľŀ aāăąǻtţťț iīĭį oōŏőǿnńņň oōŏőǿf 3,128. TŢŤȚhħeēĕėęě maāăąǻiīĭį nńņň paāăąǻrŕŗř tţťț oōŏőǿf tţťț oōŏőǿwŵẁẃẅnńņň cćċčoōŏőǿnńņňcćċčeēĕėęě nńņňtţťț rŕŗř aāăąǻtţťț eēĕėęě sśşș aāăąǻ poōŏőǿsśşștţťț oōŏőǿffiīĭį cćċčeēĕėęě , aāăąǻ fiīĭį rŕŗř eēĕėęě dďđeēĕėęě paāăąǻrŕŗř tţťț meēĕėęě nńņňtţťț , aāăąǻ lĺļľŀ iīĭį brŕŗř aāăąǻrŕŗř yŷỳ, aāăąǻ kķiīĭį nńņňdďđeēĕėęě rŕŗř gğġģaāăąǻrŕŗř tţťț eēĕėęě nńņň, tţťț hħrŕŗř eēĕėęě eēĕėęě eēĕėęě lĺļľŀ eēĕėęě meēĕėęě nńņňtţťț aāăąǻrŕŗř yŷỳ sśşșcćċčhħoōŏőǿoōŏőǿlĺļľŀ sśşș, aāăąǻ juūŭůűų nńņňiīĭį oōŏőǿrŕŗř hħiīĭį gğġģhħ sśşșcćċčhħoōŏőǿoōŏőǿlĺļľŀ , aāăąǻ sśşșuūŭůűų peēĕėęě rŕŗř maāăąǻrŕŗř kķeēĕėęě tţťț , aāăąǻ hħeēĕėęě aāăąǻlĺļľŀ tţťț hħ cćċčeēĕėęě nńņňtţťț eēĕėęě rŕŗř , aāăąǻ cćċčlĺļľŀ iīĭį nńņňiīĭį cćċč, vaāăąǻrŕŗř iīĭį oōŏőǿuūŭůűų sśşș sśşșhħoōŏőǿpsśşș, aāăąǻnńņňdďđ eēĕėęě veēĕėęě nńņň aāăąǻ tţťț aāăąǻxiīĭį cćċčoōŏőǿmpaāăąǻnńņňyŷỳ.

Nuclear risk governance in Japan came to the fore of public concern following the triple disaster... more Nuclear risk governance in Japan came to the fore of public concern following the triple disasters of March 11, 2011. For the first time since atomic energy was incepted, citizens became aware that despite pervasive narratives of technological safety, nuclear power poses a tangible risk on people’s lives. In this context, 3.11 reveals the urban and compound nature of contemporary disasters. Regardless of having taken place in a non-urban region, the effects of the earthquake, tsunami, and cascading accidents at the Fukushima plant were severely compounded by inadequate decision-making in the capital. Lack of transparency, lack of governance, and poor risk communication emerged as salient issues affecting disaster prevention and response. This chapter interrogates the historical and political context that paved the road to the worst nuclear accident in recent times. It then discusses institutional weaknesses in safety assessments and describes conflicts that characterized the expansion of nuclear power. Finally, it argues that in order not to repeat the same mistakes that led to the Fukushima catastrophe, important lessons in nuclear risk governance have yet to be learned. These include the need for greater transparency, strengthening the independence of regulatory bodies, the importance of taking into account people’s perceptions of nuclear energy, facilitating citizen participation in the construction of risk discourses, and acknowledging the vital role of cities (especially Tokyo) in disaster governance.

The Fukushima nuclear disaster highlighted the relevance of effective risk communication strategi... more The Fukushima nuclear disaster highlighted the relevance of effective risk communication strategies for nuclear accidents. Poor risk communication was evidenced during the crisis and its aftermath. The government’s mishandling of radiation issues generated concern in international nuclear agencies as well as widespread anxiety among Japanese citizens. Based on anthropological research, I will argue that among the negative consequences of the government’s inability to deal with public fears are the citizens’ uncertainty and ongoing distrust toward the government, the safety regulators, and the nuclear industry. I will also suggest that such harmful effects can be mitigated by enhancing transparency of the decision-making process and by implementing participative programs where policy makers, stakeholders, and representatives of the local communities can jointly discuss energy production schemes.

Books by Pablo Figueroa

The March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami left a death toll of more than... more The March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and ensuing tsunami left a death toll of more than 15,000 in the Tohoku region (National Police Agency of Japan: 2015). This tragedy was compounded by the Fukushima reactor meltdowns; the authorities’ poor handling of the nuclear crisis, the release of radiation into the environment, and forced evacuation of local residents caused widespread anxiety among Japanese citizens. Four years on, the attitudes of the government and the nuclear industry fail to address public concerns about radiation as well as the psychological hardships affecting the displaced populations. The official stance to this day has been to downplay the seriousness of the 3.11 events. This chapter will argue that the Fukushima nuclear disaster has generated photographic discourses of political subversion and nostalgia among Japanese art photographers. In doing so, it will attempt to situate and discuss those discourses against the backdrop of wider cultural texts of power, politics, and space. The research will draw upon ethnographic fieldwork, scholarly analysis of the Fukushima disaster and cultural criticism.

Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 2018