¹ See Norma Field “The Symposium and Beyond” for more information on the symposium (link). A video on the symposium is also available via the Atomic Age blog.

² The trailer in English of Ashes to Honey can be viewed here.

³ See Kamanaka Hitomi (Introduced and translated by Norma Field), “Complicity and Victimhood: Director Kamanaka Hitomi's Nuclear Warnings,” and Kamanaka Hitomi, Tsuchimoto Noriaki and Norma Field, “Rokkasho, Minamata and Japan's Future: Capturing Humanity on Film”, for more information on Kamanaka's works.

⁴ In contrast, Rokkasho Rhapsody by Kamanaka Hitomi includes interviews with supporters of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant in Aomori prefecture while also describing the often tense interactions and the feelings of isolation of those who continue to oppose the plant (which has already been constructed) within the community.

⁵ The Rainbow Kayaking Team explains their activity in their blog (in Japanese)

⁶ See Pomper, Dalnoki-Veress, Lieggi and Scheinmann “Nuclear Power and Spent Fuel in East Asia: Balancing Energy, Politics and Nuclear Proliferation” concerning the problem of spent fuel and reprocessing.

⁷ Jiji.com 9/25/2011 “The Grant-in-aid for nuclear power plants consists of one-fourth of the town's budget – Kaminoseki-cho of Yamaguchi prefecture under difficult financial operation.”

⁸ Chugoku Shimbun 10/1/2011 “The Grant-in-aid for the Town of Kaminoseki – Asking the same amount as before.”

⁹ Citizens' Nuclear Information Center's newsletter Vol. 425 (11/1/2009) has a timeline on the Kaminoseki controversy, and indicates the 1987 case. Link.

Chōshū Shimbun, a leftist /communist (independent of the JCP) paper that takes an oppositional stance to the Kaminoseki plant, also writes in detail about past bribery incidents in the town of Kaminoseki by Chugoku Electric. 5/15/2003 “The Framework of Bribery by Chugoku Electric.”

¹⁰ Nasu Keiko. Chūden-san Sayonara: Yamaguchi-ken Iwaishima Genpatsu to Tatakau Shimabito no Kiroku (Good-Bye, Chuden-san: The Record of Islanders Figting Against a Nuclear Power Plant in Iwaishima). Tokyo: Soshisha, 2007 :35-37

¹¹ A leaflet by Kaminosekicho Machizukuri Renraku Kyogikai, criticizing outsiders coming to protest against the plant's construction, is also posted in the organization's blog.

¹² Asahi Shimbun, “Thirty-Years of Conflicts: Kaminoseki at the Crossroad.” 6/28/2011. Also see McCormack “Hubris Punished: Japan as Nuclear State.”

¹³ See Adelstein and McNeill for criticism of the view that the tsunami caused the accident. They quote TEPCO workers saying that the earthquake caused significant damage to the pipes and gas tanks prior to the tsunami. Link.

¹⁴ Busby and Selden, “Fukushima Children at Risk of Heart Disease” note that while cancer and leukemia are usually referred to as the medical consequences of radiation, high rates of heart disease among children, as well as immediate effects such as brain damage and birth defects, occurred among Chernobyl children. Kyodo News has reported thyroid gland irregularities in 10 of 130 children evacuated from Fukushima. See “Thyroid gland irregularities found in young evacuees from Fukushima,” Mainichi Shimbun October 4, 2011.

¹⁵ According to Yamaguchi, thanks to the very modest national pension that many of the elderly residents of Iwaishima receive, they can survive – though barely. The lack of infrastructure is extremely serious, particularly with the rapidly aging population.

¹⁶ See Oguma, Eiji. “The Hidden Faces of Diaster: 3.11, the Historical Structure and Future of Japan's Northeast” for the similar issues of population decline and economic structure in Tohoku.

¹⁷ Jiji Hyōron is distributed beyond Yamaguchi prefecture, especially to conservative politicians. After March 11, Jiji Hyōron published a theme issue on nuclear energy as a booklet, Yūsen. Yamaguchi also contributes articles in other conservative publications.

¹⁸ An interesting example of the intentional dissociation between nuclear weapons and nuclear energy is the use by Yamaguchi and other Kaminoseki proponents of the term, “genden,” rather than “genpatsu,” for nuclear power plants. Yamaguchi Governor Nii Sekinari, also used the term, “genden,” until August this year, when he announced that he would use the common term “genpatsu.” (Yamaguchi Shimbun, 8/2/2011) According to Yamaguchi, one reason for the avoidance of the term, “genpatsu,” is that it sounds like “genbaku,” the atomic bomb.

¹⁹ See Jeff Kingston on the decline of the Japanese public's support on nuclear energy and the rising support for a policy to phase out nuclear energy with a goal to abandon it.

²⁰ For example, Chōshū Shimbun, a Shimonoseki-based leftist paper in opposition to the Kaminoseki plant, criticized the opposition candidate's campaign strategy. Chōshū Shimbun, “The result does not mean victory for the proponents.” 9/26/2011 On twitter, freelance journalist, Ishii Takaaki criticized outsiders' interference in local politics as the major reason why the opposition could not gain significant support, even at this particular election. Link.

²¹ For example, Ishihara Nobuteru of LDP called the anti-nuclear activists of Iwaishima as “outsiders” and “Chukaku-ha”, adding that the anti-nuclear rally of June 11 in Shinjuku was led by “professional activists” of various sects. Mainichi Shimbun (Kyushu local coverage) “Yamaguchi, Kaminoseki Plant Construction Plan: Ishihara ‘Impossible to construct for the next 10 years,' ‘The opposition movement is anarchist.'” 6/19/2011

²² For the spread of radiation related to the accidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima, see Busby and Selden, “Fukushima Children at the Risk of Heart Disease.” Selden points out that radiation is not necessarily limited to concentric circles or evacuation zones defined by the state, and may easily transcend national borders through the air and water.

²³ Nihon Keizai Shimbun “Kaminoseki, A step forward for united town development efforts: Overwhelming victory for Kashiwabara.” 9/27/2011; Chōshū Shimbun “The result is not victory for the proponents.” 9/26/2011

²⁴ Asahi Shimbun “Minister of National Strategy moving forward with the resumption of nuclear power plants” 10/1/2011

²⁵ Jiji.com “High hurdle for constructing new nuclear power plants: even with election victory by the proponents.” 9/25/2011