The Logic of Nuclear Power Plants: Getting Compensation Before the Accident From a Period of High Growth to an Era of Rural Decline

The Logic of Nuclear Power Plants: Getting Compensation Before the Accident From a Period of High Growth to an Era of Rural Decline

The parenthetical comment about fishing compensation, that it is too late to get it after an accident, is closer to an expression of an urgent sense of life than a ruthless calculation. Many of the coastal areas where nuclear power plants were planned were already facing a population exodus and a tapering off of industry from the end of the high-growth period. Fishing is a precarious livelihood that depends on natural conditions, and investments in boats, nets, and fuel are always accompanied by debt. Income ceases the moment the fish can no longer be caught, but repayment and living expenses do not wait. In this sense of time, post-accident compensation was not a realistic remedy.

What the narratives of the parent companies show is the idea that compensation is not a matter of morality or responsibility, but rather an advance to maintain their livelihood. We do not know whether or not a nuclear accident will occur, but there is a strong possibility that operations will be affected once construction and sea area restrictions begin. Even if they seek compensation after the impact becomes apparent, negotiations and court proceedings will take time, during which time their livelihoods will be ruined. This is why the logic of withdrawing money before the damage occurs and preparing ahead of time was born.

Although this idea appears ethically distorted, the words of the parent company are tinged with distrust of the system. Will the government and power companies take responsibility promptly after an accident, or will proof of causality and documentation delay payment? The accumulation of such experiences and rumors made them lose faith in receiving the money later.

This logic is also spoken of as a collective survival strategy, not individual greed. Fishermen's compensation is negotiated collectively through fishing cooperatives and local influential people, and the entire community is backed by a resigned belief that it will survive on the premise of nuclear power. If the nuclear power plant does not come, the region will go under first, so we will take what we can get before it comes. This idea shows that the relationship between nuclear power and compensation was shaped not by ethics but by the realities of life.