Disregards to Principles on the Distribution of Risk and Bads

Geological disposal is the primary option for most countries where have high-level radioactive waste. All countries except for Finland, however, have not found any sites for geological disposal facilities due to objections from the population. Japanese government is facing same problem. We must dispose nuclear wastes regardless of continuation/stop of nuclear electricity. How can or should we tackle this problem?

The essential sociological perspective is the distribution of risk/bads. This perspective was suggested by Ulrich Beck in his Risk Society (1986). He has insisted that the concept of class is not effective for understanding the logic of this distribution anymore. To his argument, lots of works have asked whether it is true or not. The logic of the distribution of risk/bads has been a focus of sociological studies.

In this presentation, we will show two disregarded principles on the distribution of high-level radioactive waste. These principles are deduced from an analysis of conflicts on general wastes in Japan. Based on these principles, we will analyze a site finding scheme and its result of geological disposal facilities in Japan.

Japanese government is looking for communities where spontaneously accept the facility now. For getting a spontaneous candidacy, the government established a governmental body called NUMO (Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan) in 2000 and has offered lots of benefits such as subsidies, tax revenues and job creation. Local communities and councils could get those benefits if they accept a facility. However, no principles mentioned above are found in this scheme.

To date, no local community or council has officially put up for it. This result shows that the scheme of Japan has an important fault that is caused by a disregard to the principles. We will elucidate how these two principles function in the process of the distribution of risk/bads.