Community Governance in Decontamination Policy after the Fukushima Nuclear Accident: Two Case Studies from the Naka-dori Region, Fukushima, Japan

摘要

The aim of this study is to explore the influence of community governance on the determination and implementation of decontamination policies in local communities, focusing on Miharu Town and Koriyama City in the Naka-dori region of Fukushima Prefecture. This study is based on fieldwork undertaken in Miharu Town and Koriyama City. Data were gathered from local documents and interviews. Interviews were conducted with the municipal administrations and neighbourhood associations in charge of post-accident decontamination policies. The results showed that the procedures and contents of the resulting decontamination policies were formulated on the basis of organizational cooperation among municipal administrations and neighbourhood associations in both municipalities. Immediately after the accident, neighbourhood associations participated in the process of determining the decontamination policies of these two municipalities. Networks comprising several neighbourhood associations tackled decontamination in educational facilities and along school routes. In some districts, neighbourhood associations participated in decisions on location and management of temporary storage yards for waste generated by decontamination work. In addition to these institutional factors, land-use-related factors in the spaces used in daily life influenced the procedures and contents of the decontamination policies. These defined the differences between methods of establishing temporary storage yards in Miharu Town and Koriyama City. Our findings suggest that the relationship between community governance and land use deserves more attention in this case, as in the case of other environment problems.