Nonscalability of “citizen science” in post-Fukushima Japan: Unpacking articulations of citizen radiation measuring organizations

This article explores and discusses understandings of citizen science with members of Japanese citizen radiation measuring organizations who began measuring radioactive contamination in food, soil, air, and human bodies after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. Building on in-depth interviews with organization members and extensive multi-site fieldwork (2018, 2020), the article takes shimin kagaku (citizen science in Japanese) to examine articulations of citizenship and science, while discussing citizen radiation measuring organization activities. Adopting Tsing’s notion of nonscalability, it draws attention to the manifold articulations of citizenship and science, unearthing frictions embedded in Japanese science–society relations. In this way, this article outlines the diversity of notions of citizenship and science, and of citizen participatory practices in science. By bringing nonscalability to bear on an analysis of different articulations of shimin kagaku, this article encourages scientists and public authorities to engage with citizen participatory practices reflexively and responsibly by considering local articulations and knowledges.

Basic Study on Scale-Free Networks and Targeted Antivirus Prophylaxis Supported by Information Communication Tools

With the aim of slowing the spread of infectious disease in the earliest phase of an outbreak, we performed visual simulations using scale-free networks focused on circumstances such as “normal” daily life, pandemic outbreaks, and the Fukushima nuclear accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Due to limitations associated with face-to-face contacts and delays in the timing of intake of iodine tablets, iodine preparations for protecting the thyroid gland could be taken effectively by only 5% of the population in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident. For targeted antivirus prophylaxis (TAP) to be more effective, timing of the distribution of anti-viral medication needs to be planned well in advance and instructions to “take it now!” must be communicated effectively in a timely manner. The results of this study suggest that information communication technology (e.g., pulse oximeters, mobile phones) can play an important role in managing TAP policies.

Potential Impacts of Fukushima Nuclear Leakage on China’s Carbon Neutrality—an Investigation on Nuclear Power Avoidance and Regional Heterogeneity

Ten years have passed since the Fukushima nuclear accident, but its impact on the environment and energy consumption structure has continued up to now. This accident delayed the process of China’s nuclear power construction and may have a certain potential impact on China’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. This paper aims to properly understand the negative impact of the Fukushima nuclear leakage on China’s nuclear power industry, to reawaken the attention of Chinese academic and governmental departments to nuclear energy, and to explore a reasonable path to achieve carbon neutrality. Based on the idea of a quasi-natural experiment, this paper collected the carbon emissions data of 30 provinces and cities in China from 2000 to 2017, and explored the accident impact and mechanism on carbon emissions in the provinces with nuclear power. The research results showed that the Fukushima nuclear accident had different impacts on China’s nuclear power provinces. Due to the large proportion of manufacturing industry and high dependence on energy, the carbon emissions in Jiangsu Province rose after being impacted by the incident, in contrast, the research results in Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces were opposite. Through the mechanism test, it was found that the incident impact had reduced the carbon emissions of Guangdong and Zhejiang by improving the industrial structure and energy efficiency, with the explanation ratios of 10.45 and 15.1%, respectively. Technological innovation had obscured the emission reduction effect of the incident impact, and the innovation driving force for green development in nuclear power base provinces was insufficient. These findings are helpful to analyze the regional layout of China’s nuclear power and have implications for achieving carbon neutrality. Finally, this study offers relevant policy recommendations.

Developing a database for Cs-137 radioactivity concentration and assessing residual levels in surface soils of Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, and Lang Son provinces

The radioactivity concentration of Cs-137 was determined in 826 soil samples collected from Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, and Lang Son. The residual levels of Cs-137 have also been assessed and compared with previous publications to obtain a trend in Cs-137 in the surface soil. The actual measured average of the residual level of Cs-137 in the soil samples collected in this study was 236±146 Bq/m2, while the value calculated using the publishedexperimental formula was 407±77 Bq/m2. The impact of Cs-137 deposition from the Fukushima nuclear accident (2011) in this area is confirmed to be negligible.

The HotSpot Code as a Tool to Improve Risk Analysis During Emergencies: Predicting I-131 and CS-137 Dispersion in the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Conventional and non-conventional emergencies are among the most important safety and security concerns of the new millennium. Nuclear power and research plants, high-energy particle accelerators, radioactive substances for industrial and medical uses are all considered credible sources of threats both in warfare and in terror scenarios. Estimates of potential radiation releases of radioactive contamination related to these threats are therefore essential in order to prepare and respond to such scenarios. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that computational modeling codes to simulate transport of radioactivity are extremely valuable to assess expected radiation levels and to improve risk analysis during emergencies helping the emergency planner and the first responders in the first hours of an occurring emergency.