JPOSS #48: “Entangled Fishermen: Fishing Industry and The Evolution of Anti-Nuclear Power Plant Movements in Japan”

The forty-eighth session of the Japanese Politics Online Seminar Series (JPOSS) took place on April 25, 2024. Saori Katada (University of Southern California) chaired the seminar and moderated the Q&A session.

Toshiaki Yoshida (Northeastern University) presented a paper investigating factors shaping the outcomes of anti-nuclear power plant movements. The author focuses on three intermediate goals that are collectively sufficient for the passage of nuclear plants: acquisition of land, fishing rights, and consent from the communities. Using data on movements in 32 municipalities across 17 prefectures, he examines six factors related to the strength of movements in blocking each of the three goals. His analysis identifies hierarchical fishing cooperatives as a significant factor that undermines the success of these movements, particularly because the concentration of power in one leader enables targeting by pro-nuclear actors.

Phillip Y. Lipscy (University of Toronto) and Pinar Temocin (University of Tokyo) offered insightful comments on framing, research design, and clarity of the theory. During the Q&A session, participants furthered discussions on relevant concepts and alternative considerations.

The organizers would like to thank the presenters, discussants, and participants, as well as the staff at the Harvard Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, who provided administrative support. We look forward to seeing you at the next session of JPOSS: https://jposs.org/.

Originally published on the Japanese Politics Online Seminar Series blog. Original publication can be found here.