Engineer Culture and Craftsmanship: The Quiet Underlying Strength Fostered by On-Site Strength at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1970-2011)
At the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, a strong on-site culture was nurtured by skilled engineers from the very beginning of the plant's operation. In the 1970s and 1980s, Japan's manufacturing industry was a global power and engineers were highly valued in society. Against this backdrop, the skills developed at Fukushima Daiichi were the foundation of the safety culture. However, since the 1990s, the wave of efficiency and rationalization has spread, and procedure manual-centered operations have taken root, making it difficult for younger workers to accumulate experience. The rapid generational change of engineers has also reduced opportunities to pass on craftsmanship. Nevertheless, engineers with many years of experience continued to support on-site decision-making. Even in the chaos of the Fukushima accident, there were many occasions when their knowledge of the equipment's habits helped prevent the crisis from escalating. Craftsmanship is not merely a skill, but a
culture that involves an attitude toward technology and integrity, and it was the final bulwark that supported the safety of giant systems.
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