Fukushima: The Story That Isn't Over — Maxime Polleri

This episode of The IR thinker revisits the Fukushima disaster, examining its diplomatic repercussions, its impact on global energy policy, and the transformation of Japan’s nuclear research and governance. The discussion also addresses the controversy surrounding the release of treated radioactive water, the Japanese government’s crisis communication, the lived experience of those affected, and the wider lessons for managing radioactive sites worldwide.Maxime PolleriMaxime Polleri is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Université Laval in Canada and a member of the Graduate School of International Studies. An anthropologist of science and technology, he studies the governance of disasters and waste with a particular focus on nuclear issues. Dr Polleri is a Network Affiliate at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, where he previously held MacArthur Nuclear Security pre and postdoctoral fellowships, and is a member of MITATE Lab, an international research programme on Fukushima.Content00:00 - Introduction to the Discussion02:09 - Diplomatic Repercussions of the Fukushima Disaster09:42 - Response of Expats in Japan to the Fukushima Disaster11:28 - The Impact of Fukushima on Global Energy Policies21:40 - Post-Fukushima Nuclear Research & Development in Japan25:46 - Evaluating the State of Nuclear Knowledge in Japan28:46 - Comparing Japanese Society Pre- and Post-Fukushima37:15 - International Oversight of Japanese Nuclear Facilities40:00 - The Controversy of Fukushima’s Radioactive Water Release44:24 - Understanding the Process of Radioactive Water Release45:25 - Real-Life Experiences with Radioactive Water Release47:04 - Assessing the Quality of Japanese Government’s Crisis Communication52:47 - Lessons for Humanity from the Fukushima Disaster58:22 - Management of Radioactive Sites WorldwideFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.