This negative representation of Naoto Kan should be seen in the context of the
criticism he was subject to in Japan. Much of the population believed that the Prime
Minister was not up to the situation. His resignation was therefore seen as a
milestone in the management of the crisis, “The opposition, but also most of the
media, never stopped saying that with the departure of Kan it would at last be
possible to begin to resolve the crisis caused by the March 11 earthquake. The
psychological and emotional processes at work here seem to have been typical of
that of the scapegoat” [48].
The timeframe for the nuclear crisis is not limited to the management of the
accident. It seems more relevant to think of Fukushima as a chain reaction, which
continues to cause regular crises [49]. Documentaries take particular note of this
‘never-ending accident’, which is viewed as an unfolding drama. The final scenes of
the documentary Welcome to Fukushima [50] evoke a terrifying scenario: the
evacuation of more than 50 million Japanese, should a major earthquake occur
before the operator can empty the plant’s fuel ponds. Such apocalyptic scenarios
only prolong the current disaster. Meanwhile, those responsible for remediation and
decontamination at the site are subject to extreme working conditions. The
exploitation of the human body represents the dark side of post-accident operations,
and reminds us of the martyrdom of Soviet operators, convicts of atomic power,
“(they) take incredible risks, with just a mask and two gloves, they spend the day in
an environment than can exceed three times the amount of radiation tolerated for
nuclear workers in France” [51].
The social dimension of the crisis is very apparent. In the documentary Japan:
the Silent Nuclear Sector [42] a gymnasium has been transformed into a center for
displaced people. A horizontal pan shows the living conditions of ‘nuclear refugees’, who live in total uncertainty while waiting to be rehoused. Authorities seem
to underestimate the extent of the contamination. In Fukushima, the Sacrifice of a
Population (Fukushima, une population sacrifiée) [51], a CRIIRAD technician
15
takes measurements in a primary school in Fukushima City. Off-screen, he reads
radiation levels, while students prepare their sports equipment in the background.
The depth of field reflects the resignation of the government, which is allowing
radioactive pollution to take root in the lives of children.
Documentaries like those made by the Japanese media [52], emphasize that
social bonds were destroyed by the accident. Radioactivity isolates and fragments
communities, says the narrator of Fukushima, Particles and Mankind [38]. It prevents any return to normality in the contaminated area. The consequences of the
disaster disrupt not only lifestyles, but also the relationship between people and
things. Decontamination destroys landscapes. In Welcome to Fukushima, a
Japanese resident turns this point into an ontological caesura, “If a tree is a 100
15
The Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity (CRIIRAD) was
created in May 1986 after the Chernobyl accident. The role of this independent body is to monitor
radioactivity in the environment and materials, evaluate the impact of radioactive releases from
nuclear facilities, provide information about radioactivity and its civil and military applications,
and protect populations against the risks created by ionizing radiation.
150
A. Portelli
criticism he was subject to in Japan. Much of the population believed that the Prime
Minister was not up to the situation. His resignation was therefore seen as a
milestone in the management of the crisis, “The opposition, but also most of the
media, never stopped saying that with the departure of Kan it would at last be
possible to begin to resolve the crisis caused by the March 11 earthquake. The
psychological and emotional processes at work here seem to have been typical of
that of the scapegoat” [48].
The timeframe for the nuclear crisis is not limited to the management of the
accident. It seems more relevant to think of Fukushima as a chain reaction, which
continues to cause regular crises [49]. Documentaries take particular note of this
‘never-ending accident’, which is viewed as an unfolding drama. The final scenes of
the documentary Welcome to Fukushima [50] evoke a terrifying scenario: the
evacuation of more than 50 million Japanese, should a major earthquake occur
before the operator can empty the plant’s fuel ponds. Such apocalyptic scenarios
only prolong the current disaster. Meanwhile, those responsible for remediation and
decontamination at the site are subject to extreme working conditions. The
exploitation of the human body represents the dark side of post-accident operations,
and reminds us of the martyrdom of Soviet operators, convicts of atomic power,
“(they) take incredible risks, with just a mask and two gloves, they spend the day in
an environment than can exceed three times the amount of radiation tolerated for
nuclear workers in France” [51].
The social dimension of the crisis is very apparent. In the documentary Japan:
the Silent Nuclear Sector [42] a gymnasium has been transformed into a center for
displaced people. A horizontal pan shows the living conditions of ‘nuclear refugees’, who live in total uncertainty while waiting to be rehoused. Authorities seem
to underestimate the extent of the contamination. In Fukushima, the Sacrifice of a
Population (Fukushima, une population sacrifiée) [51], a CRIIRAD technician
15
takes measurements in a primary school in Fukushima City. Off-screen, he reads
radiation levels, while students prepare their sports equipment in the background.
The depth of field reflects the resignation of the government, which is allowing
radioactive pollution to take root in the lives of children.
Documentaries like those made by the Japanese media [52], emphasize that
social bonds were destroyed by the accident. Radioactivity isolates and fragments
communities, says the narrator of Fukushima, Particles and Mankind [38]. It prevents any return to normality in the contaminated area. The consequences of the
disaster disrupt not only lifestyles, but also the relationship between people and
things. Decontamination destroys landscapes. In Welcome to Fukushima, a
Japanese resident turns this point into an ontological caesura, “If a tree is a 100
15
The Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity (CRIIRAD) was
created in May 1986 after the Chernobyl accident. The role of this independent body is to monitor
radioactivity in the environment and materials, evaluate the impact of radioactive releases from
nuclear facilities, provide information about radioactivity and its civil and military applications,
and protect populations against the risks created by ionizing radiation.
150
A. Portelli