Determinants of support for the “Recycling Demonstration Project for the Soil Generated from Decontamination Activities” in postdisaster Fukushima, Japan

Abstract

Since 2018, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment (MoE) has worked on the "Recycling Demonstration Project for the Soil Generated from Decontamination Activities" (the Project), which aims to offer empirical evidence for the final disposal of radiation-contaminated substances. To offer practical suggestions for the Project, this study aimed to explore determinants of its support. More specifically, building on previous studies on trust, this study proposed a hypothetical model in which support for the Project was determined by trust in the MoE, which in turn was determined by salient value similarity, ability, and motivation. Additionally, it was hypothesised that the relationships between trust and its different determinants differed: Salient value similarity showed a stronger relationship with trust in those who lived near the place where the Project is taking place whereas ability and motivation showed stronger relationships with trust in those who did not. Questionnaire-based research was conducted in both Iitate village (n = 106), Fukushima, where the Project had been taking place, and Tokyo (n = 163), located approximately 220 km from Fukushima. Multilevel structural equation modelling supported the hypothesis. These results suggest that emphasising the similarity of values between the MoE and the public would help obtain the public's support for the Project.

Project Engineering for the Depollution of Industrial Sites: a Model‐Based and Systems‐of‐Systems Approach

“…Existing depollution methods (Laraia 2021) are essentially aimed at improving depollution techniques by balancing technical solutions, economic constraints, and environmental objectives. At the same time, several studies (Mukai et al 2021) list the difficulties faced by industry players in: describing what their depollution project is, what it involves, and what it operates within (that is, the need to be able to model and exchange project-related models), communicating with each other before launching specific technical activities (that is, the need to be able to work together in a coherent, planned manner), assessing the effects a priori and then the actual effects in order to validate upstream, and then adapt each project according to its dynamics over time. We have made several observations here.…”