“Structural Disaster” Long Before Fukushima: A Hidden Accident

Matsumoto, Miwao

doi:10.21588/dns.2013.42.2.002

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Matsumoto suggests a sociological concept that could shed light on the mechanism behind such persisting wrong trajectory: ""structural disaster" of the sciencetechnology-society interface" [3,4,17]. This type of disaster is caused not by some failure of science, of technology or of society as separated manner.…”

Section: Discussion: Contaminated Water Management As a Case Of "Strumentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This type of disaster is caused not by some failure of science, of technology or of society as separated manner. He argues, it should be considered as "the failure of the science-technology-society interface" [17]. There is no single technical failure, no obvious scientific misunderstanding, or no single person to be blamed.…”

Section: Discussion: Contaminated Water Management As a Case Of "Strumentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deficits of Japanese Nuclear Risk Governance Remaining After the Fukushima Accident: Case of Contaminated Water Management

Juraku

2016

Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Nuclear Risks

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It was found that many deficits of nuclear risk governance in Japan before and after the Fukushima accident. Not only were they created and embedded before the Fukushima disaster, but it has been remained or even worsened even after many accident reports were published and pointed out many problems and suggested ideas to remedy them.In this paper, the author would analyze such remained problems found in the postaccident "on-site management" policy and measures, taking the case of contaminated water management at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Firstly, the development of contaminated water management policy measures and institutional framework would be described in a chronological manner, which is one of the most typical and difficult tasks of "on-site management." Then, the cause of their failure trajectory would be analyzed by using a sociological concept "structural disaster" to understand the malfunctions which are continuously repeated not by identifiable particular factors but by inappropriate design of the socio-technical interface. This conceptual standpoint would suggest that the problems are not solvable by each of technical improvement, superficial institutional reform, nor prosecution and punishment of relevant individuals or organizations but by the redesign of that interface as a whole. Finally, based on this perspective, the author would discuss the ideas to remedy the deficits that might lead to further continuation of "structural disaster" in nuclear field.

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Section: Discussion: Contaminated Water Management As a Case Of "Strumentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussion: Contaminated Water Management As a Case Of "Strumentioning

confidence: 99%

Deficits of Japanese Nuclear Risk Governance Remaining After the Fukushima Accident: Case of Contaminated Water Management

Juraku

2016

Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Nuclear Risks

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“…Against this background of wartime mobilization, a naval engine failure caused by small tip fragments of the main standard engine was a very delicate matter for anyone to raise. 21 Despite the circumstances, Kubota strongly recommended that confirmation tests should be conducted again for naval vessels of the same type. He argued that if turbine rotor vibration was the true cause, then the failure would be repeatable when the engine was run continuously at the critical speed causing rotor vibration (nearly 6/10 to 10/10 of the full speed).…”

Section: The Hidden Accident and The Outbreak Of War With The Us Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…No failure occurred. This provided the Navy with the simplest practical rationale for cancelling the overall remedial measures for all naval vessels, which were expected to require huge amounts of extra money and 21 Reference [44, p. 412]. The author was in charge of drafting the national mobilization plan at the Cabinet Planning Board (Kikaku In) in the prewar period.…”

Section: The Hidden Accident and The Outbreak Of War With The Us Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

The “Structural Disaster” of the Science-Technology-Society Interface

Matsumoto

2014

Reflections on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident

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This chapter attempts to shed fresh light on the structural causes of the Fukushima accident by illuminating the patterns of behavior of the agents involved in a little-known but serious accident that occurred immediately before World War II. Despite the expected incalculable damages caused by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, critical information was restricted to government insiders. This state of affairs reminds us of the state of prewar Japanese wartime mobilization in which all information was controlled under the name of supreme governmental authority. This paper argues that we can take the comparison more seriously as far as the patterns of behavior of the agents involved are concerned. The key concept that is employed for that argument is the "structural disaster" of the science-technology-society interface, the causes of which can be divided into two different categories, organizational errors and technological trajectory. Through the lens of "structural disaster", the possibility of functional disintegration coupled with structural interdependence and secrecy is drawn for investigation relevant both in wartime and in peacetime. This paper will contextualize the sociological implications of the possibility for all of us who face the post-Fukushima situation based on exploration into the hidden prewar accident with particular focus on a subtle relationship between success and failure.

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“…We are not interested in the potential biases that are inherent in the inquiry process, nor in the conclusions that can be drawn in terms of safety . Nor, unlike other in‐depth accident investigations, do we seek to study the various possible conclusions with respect to the causes of the event, depending on whether the point of view adopted by the investigator is objectivist or constructivist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Industrial Safety and Utopia: Insights from the Fukushima Daiichi Accident

2017

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Feedback from industrial accidents is provided by various state or even international, institutions, and lessons learned can be controversial. However, there has been little research into organizational learning at the international level. This article helps to fill the gap through an in-depth review of official reports of the Fukushima Daiichi accident published shortly after the event. We present a new method to analyze the arguments contained in these voluminous documents. Taking an intertextual perspective, the method focuses on the accident narratives, their rationale, and links between "facts," "causes," and "recommendations." The aim is to evaluate how the findings of the various reports are consistent with (or contradict) "institutionalized knowledge," and identify the social representations that underpin them. We find that although the scientific controversy surrounding the results of the various inquiries reflects different ethical perspectives, they are integrated into the same utopian ideal. The involvement of multiple actors in this controversy raises questions about the public construction of epistemic authority, and we highlight the special status given to the International Atomic Energy Agency in this regard.

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“Structural Disaster” Long Before Fukushima: A Hidden Accident

Cited by 13 publications

References 15 publications

Deficits of Japanese Nuclear Risk Governance Remaining After the Fukushima Accident: Case of Contaminated Water Management

Deficits of Japanese Nuclear Risk Governance Remaining After the Fukushima Accident: Case of Contaminated Water Management

The “Structural Disaster” of the Science-Technology-Society Interface

Industrial Safety and Utopia: Insights from the Fukushima Daiichi Accident

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