[Sunday Culture] 12th Anniversary of Nuclear Accident... Japan Calls Radiation Risk 'Fake News'

12th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake... Fukushima Revisited
"Fukushima Suffers from Baseless Rumors," Japanese Government Steps In

Yesterday marked the 12th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Given the numerous casualties and damages, Japanese media extensively covered interviews with victims and articles urging disaster prevention. Among these reports, stories about Fukushima, where the nuclear power plant exploded following the earthquake, were always included.

The Japanese government is making all-out efforts for Fukushima's revitalization. With the release of Fukushima contaminated water expected in the first half of this year, Japanese media continue to emphasize preventing 'fuhyo-higai' (reputational damage). This Japanese term refers to harm caused by baseless rumors. Today, we will discuss why the Japanese government and media are focusing on combating fuhyo-higai related to Fukushima.

Fuhyo-higai (風評被害) means the adverse effects caused by the spread of unfounded gossip or rumors. In Japan, Fukushima is cited as a typical example of fuhyo-higai. After the Fukushima nuclear accident, fear of radioactive materials led people to completely avoid buying agricultural products from Fukushima, resulting in economic damage to the region.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

To prevent fuhyo-higai, the Japanese government is putting considerable effort into countermeasures. Previously, the government established a "Fuhyo Countermeasure Fund" of 30 billion yen (2.88 trillion won) to address baseless rumors related to the nuclear accident. Through this fund, in December last year, a nationwide promotional campaign was conducted for two weeks, featuring TV and newspaper advertisements aimed at "scientifically informing the safety of Fukushima contaminated water." The ads included various formats, from videos featuring Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Nishimura Yasutoshi himself to animations.

The Japanese government plans to dilute the contaminated water treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) with seawater in front of the nuclear plant to reduce the concentration to less than 1/40 of the country's regulatory standards before releasing it. Because of this, the TV ads include lines such as "What is the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)?", "Is it really safe?", and "Is it okay to release it into the sea?" The ads explain that the tritium concentration in the contaminated water is below international standards and therefore safe, ending with the message, "Let's learn everything about ALPS-treated water. Let's think about it."

Additionally, the government is trying to erase negative images by referring to the contaminated water as "treated water." This has even led to tensions among media outlets. Progressive Japanese media such as Asahi and Tokyo Shimbun use the term "contaminated water" in their articles, while right-wing media openly criticize them in editorials, accusing them of participating in fuhyo-higai.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Public broadcasters have no choice but to join the government's stance. NHK also refers to the contaminated water as treated water and has launched awareness campaigns and public opinion surveys to improve perception. NHK recently used big data to report on how effective the government's measures against fuhyo-higai have been. The article mentioned, "In Fukushima Prefecture, radiation inspection results have consistently been below the standard since the nuclear accident, but agricultural and marine products still do not sell," adding that "the persistence of fuhyo-higai is troubling those involved."

According to NHK, due to the Japanese government's Fukushima revitalization policies, related search terms on social networking services (SNS) for "Fukushima peach" are mostly positive. Words like "radiation" and "cesium" did not appear, while terms such as "places to buy" and "online sales" ranked high. Regarding "Fukushima rice," although "radiation" ranked high, the emergence of new Fukushima rice varieties has led to an increase in words like "brand."

However, this big data analysis also demonstrated that radiation fears about Fukushima persist within Japan. For fish, negative words such as "radiation," "deformity," and "contamination" still ranked high.

This phenomenon was especially prevalent among people aged 30 and above. NHK analyzed that "those with children or families tend to prioritize safety more." It added, "With the imminent release of treated water into the sea, there are concerns about new fuhyo-higai among stakeholders, and how effectively safety can be communicated will be key to countermeasures."

In short, because the release of contaminated water could worsen current damages, continuous proof of safety is necessary. However, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has announced it will measure concentrations of only 31 out of 64 radioactive nuclides subject to contaminated water measurement, leaving many doubts. It is questionable whether the Japanese government can simply label this anxiety as damage caused by baseless rumors without resolving the concerns of its own citizens.