Löschke A (2018)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Book chapter / Article in edited volumes
Publication year: 2018
Publisher: Routledge
Edited Volumes: Social Movements and Political Activism in Contemporary Japan: Re-emerging from Invisibility
Series: The Mobilization Series on Social Movements, Protest, and Culture
City/Town: London
Pages Range: 156‒176
ISBN: 9780367889098
This chapter examines whether the advocacy of Japan’s civil society has changed after Fukushima, focusing on the policymaking process of the Nuclear Disaster Victims’ Support Law that took place in the period from April 2011 to June 2012. There are two main reasons why this law deserves attention. First, it is one of the few cases of so-called Diet Member bills which were submitted by multipartisan politicians and differ fundamentally from most of Japanese bills drafted by bureaucrats and submitted by the cabinet. Second, its policymaking process showed successful advocacy of civil society organisations (CSOs), more specifically, increased CSO involvement in policymaking after Fukushima with respect to the following six aspects: (1) establishment and expansion of a CSOs’ network, (2) CSOs’ attempts to ensure the transparency of policymaking processes, (3) CSOs’ role as an intermediary between nuclear disaster victims and policymakers, (4) CSOs’ emphasis on the illegitimacy or legitimacy of national policies, (5) CSOs’ demands for accountability from policymakers, and (6) CSOs’ roles as sources of skills and expertise. The examination is mainly based on primary sources, such as protocols of the Diet sessions and documents published by ministries and politicians, as well as on interviews conducted with CSOs and politicians.
APA:
Löschke, A. (2018). Civil society involvement in the policy-making after Fukushima: The Case of the Nuclear Disaster Victims’ Support Law. In David Chiavacci, Julia Obinger (Eds.), Social Movements and Political Activism in Contemporary Japan: Re-emerging from Invisibility. (pp. 156‒176). London: Routledge.
MLA:
Löschke, Ayaka. "Civil society involvement in the policy-making after Fukushima: The Case of the Nuclear Disaster Victims’ Support Law." Social Movements and Political Activism in Contemporary Japan: Re-emerging from Invisibility. Ed. David Chiavacci, Julia Obinger, London: Routledge, 2018. 156‒176.
BibTeX: Download