Lesebuch “Fukushima”. Übersetzungen, Kommentare, Essays

The “Fukushima Reader” is comprised of twenty essays which originated through the examination of Japanese sources within the framework of the internet project Textinitiative Fukushima. The textual study produced a series of translations of important contemporary documents which can now be presented in this book. Additionally, the “Reader” includes interviews with activists and artists as well as reports and analyses related to the debate surrounding the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake and to the “System Japan” which, as called for by numerous voices, must be subject to review. The essays are divided into four chapters. The first section is dedicated to the introduction of nuclear energy in Japan and highlights the contemporary preconditions as well as the working conditions in the nuclear power plants. Chapter two considers representations of the topic “Fukushima” in literature, film, theatre and the medium of photography. The third chapter addresses the multiple instances of media manipulation and the potential of enlightenment through the media, while the final section looks into the apparently increased wish for political participation and presents demonstrations and other forms of protest.

The volume offers detailed insights into the arguments of representatives of critical journalism, the media strategies of the Japanese nuclear energy lobby and the attitude of Japanese citizens in relation to nuclear energy. Investigations undertaken from the perspective of political science provide insights of a “post-Fukushima nationalism”, while an approach based on philosophy and the history of ideas highlights the role of intellectuals in paving the way on issues of Japan’s ideological orientation and its democratic development. Furthermore, analyses from the field of cultural and literary studies offer information about artistic excursions into the crisis zone, give narrative access to the lives of those in emergency accommodation in the northeast and to the motives of those who volunteered in the catastrophe area as well as presenting fictional considerations regarding Japan’s future.

The “Reader” will be published by EB-Verlag, Berlin on the 17th of July and is aimed at readers who wish to familiarise themselves with Japanese views and debates.