Beyond Fukushima ─ Toward a Post-Nuclear Society

'It finally dawned on us. The government was unreliable. Politicians and bureaucrats were unreliable. The media were untrustworthy. The brutal reality hit us that we had to protect ourselves...otherwise bury our heads in the sand or give up altogether.' Written in the immediate aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of March 2011, Koichi Hasegawa's Beyond Fukushima presents a compelling account of the events of 3/11 against the backdrop of the history and geopolitics of the nuclear industry worldwide. The book begins with the accident and its immediate impact on Japan and then expands to form a critical analysis of the global nuclear power industry, providing a framework through which to explain Japan's continued reliance on nuclear power despite widespread public concern. Hasegawa's analysis is convincing. He argues passionately for denuclearization and is highly critical of the Japanese Government for failing to phase out nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima accident. In the final chapter, Hasegawa outlines steps toward a post-nuclear society, arguing strongly that this transformation must be made to avoid further catastrophe. *** "...a scathing indictment of bureaucratic incompetence and the risks of nuclear power. Detailed, critical, and persuasive, 'Beyond Fukushima' is a 'must-have' for college library social issues and world history collections." -- Midwest Book Review, Library Bookwatch: March 2016, The Social Issues Shelf (Series: Japanese Society) [Subject: Energy Studies, Japanese Studies, Asian Studies, Politics]