뉴스레터

Some of the worst disasters that hit East Asia during the past year of 2011 were the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, followed by the explosion of Hukushima Nuclear Power Plant I that led to a large amount of nuclear radiation leaks. It was a both natural and man-made disaster. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the strongest one ever measured in the history of Japan; the disastrous tsunami that claimed 19,000 lives, either dead or missing; the enormous losses estimated at 16.9 trillion Yen; 120,000 people who have lost their job in the wake of the disaster; the worst nuclear power plant accident in history said to take up to 40 years to retrieve the nuclear fuel in meltdown and dismantle the nuclear reactor; the extensive areas of land, waters, and air surrounding Hukushima Prefecture affected by radioactive contamination, and radioactive cesium detected across Japan, including Okinawa, may all represent the greatest challenge ever faced by Japan since World War II.

A Paradigm Shift in Japan after the Earthquake

Obviously, the Great East Japan Earthquake will mark a historic turning point in Japan for both its scale and the new challenge it raised for the nuclear power plant. Sure enough, Japan is changing into a society that is different from what it was before the 3/11 Great East Japan Earthquake and the Hukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident. Thousands and tens of thousands of protest-averse Japanese citizens have been brought out on the street once they experienced the terror of nuclear power, calling for a gradual change in the energy policy. The accidents has tipped the scale of public opinion completely toward 'No Nuclear Power' or 'Anti-Nuclear Power.' In the December poll by The Asahi Simbun, seventy percent of the respondents said that the Prime Minister should be elected by a referendum and sixty-eight percent agreed that the direction of policies governing energy sources, including nuclear power, should be also decided by a referendum. A majority of Japanese citizens are apparently hoping to introduce a system of pure democracy that will replace the current political system failing to reflect the will of the people. This is a sign of a gradual paradigm shift in Japan.

On the other hand, there are also signs of reinforced nationalism within Japan, calling for the enhanced status of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and publicly raising the issue of Dokdo. Some are concerned that just as the 9/11 in 2001 ushered in the era neocon in the U.S., the 3/11 might make Japan more conservative and rigid. Efforts to mobilize the people's power to use for the restoration of the nation often lead to introverted nationalism. This, combined with the 'Love for Your Country and Your Home' campaign initiated in school in the year before last, could turn Japan into a more closed society. As indicated by the descriptions of the school textbooks, there are attempts being made in Japan to use historical consciousness and territorial sovereignty as the effective tools for enhancing nationalism.

The Driving Force of Healthy Changes: The Historical Society of Japan

Where is the post-3.11 Japan headed? Regarding this question, I would like to call attention to the movement of Japan's history community. As the history community has been a great influence on the historical consciousness of Japan, its movement would be a good reference when considering the future changes of Japan. As a reminder of the duties of historians for natural disasters, it is also full of suggestions for us to consider.

The Historical Society of Japan, one of the leading organizations of historians in the country, adopted the resolution titled 'The Duties of the Historical Society after the 3/11' in the general meeting on May 21, 2011. And their journal 《Historical Studies》 Vol. 84 (Oct. 2011) published the special feature on 'The Great East Japan Earthquake/Nuclear Power Plant Accident and Historical Sciences.' Aware of their social responsibility as scholars of history, they set up a few action plans along with their resolutions as follows:

First, admitting that the damage from this large earthquake and tsunami had been worsened due in part to the failure to incorporate lessons learned from the 869 Great Earthquake in Tohoku among other earthquakes and tsunami from the past, they resolved to make efforts to put the results of their historical studies on disasters to use for society.

Second, they emphasized the important of preservation and/or restoration of historical material and records as one of the social duties of historians. They viewed that saving historical records from disasters is equivalent to reviving the regional 'memory' and 'history' and preparing the regeneration of the future community in close relation to people's restoration of their life. As early as in 1995 after the Great Hanshin Earthquake, the volunteer organization 'Historical Material Network' was established in Kobe University and started their activities across Japan. Immediately after the Great Earthquake last year, the Networks from different prefectures, including Miyagi, Hukushima, and Chiba, joined forces in saving and preserving historical records.

Third, they viewed that this nuclear power plant accident should be regarded as a 'man-made disaster' and the nuclear power plant issue made a subject of serious historical review. They criticized the power companies and the past administrations for propagating the 'safety myth,' and called for publicly addressing such issues as the danger of overconfidence in science and technology, the problem with placing utmost priority on economic growth, and the background of the introduction of the 'peaceful use of nuclear power' policy. This represents the repentance of the historical society of Japan as a victim of the atomic bombs for having neglected the nuclear power plant issues.

Fourth, they expressed serious concerns about the control and/or manipulation of information regarding the nuclear power plant accident. They pointed out that after the accident, the government, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the experts, the media were not quick to make accurate information public, and their efforts to centralize information sources expanded the move to regulate, or often regulate, the dissemination of information. And, recalling the case of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, they strongly warn against the enhanced control triggered by a disaster.

It is noteworthy that their resolutions are not limited to the historian's own duties such as studying the history of earthquakes or disasters or preserving and/or restoring historical records but suggestive of fundamental reevaluation of the nuclear power plant or highly critical of the movement to enhance control over society. In the special paper, they condemned the media of Japan, including The Asahi Simbun, as spokesman simply relaying the announcements of the Tokyo Electric Power Company or the Japanese government.

The Historical Society is one of the most influential academic organizations in the history community of Japan. Hopefully, their activities and research results might be the driving force of healthy changes in the post-3/11 Japan.