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Paper short abstract

Based on a 2025 NHK–Waseda survey distributed to 30,000 Fukushima evacuees with about 3,000 responses, this presentation shows that over 50 percent remain at high risk of PTSD fifteen years after the disaster. It argues that this chronic distress constitutes “social abuse” driven by structural violence and policy induced social indifference.

Paper long abstract

Fifteen years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the mental health of evacuees has shifted from an acute reaction to a condition best described as an “acute on chronic” crisis. Drawing on a large-scale survey conducted in 2025 by NHK and Waseda University, which was distributed to approximately 30,000 evacuees and received responses from about 3,000 individuals, this presentation provides a longitudinal analysis of persistent psychological distress. Despite official narratives of “reconstruction” and continued policy efforts toward nuclear restarts, the data show that more than 50 percent of respondents still exhibit stress levels consistent with probable Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This proportion remains significantly higher than those observed after major natural disasters such as the Kobe earthquake.

This study applies the framework of “structural violence” (Galtung 1969) to explain why these psychological wounds have not healed. It argues that the distress experienced by evacuees is not merely an individual clinical issue but the outcome of social, economic, and political systems that perpetuate a “secondary disaster.” The 2025 survey reveals a stark reality. 55.8 percent of respondents report having experienced bullying or discrimination. To avoid social stigma, more than half continue to conceal their status as evacuees. This enforced concealment constitutes a form of “social abuse,” in which affected individuals are isolated and neglected by a society that prioritizes the “myth of safety” (Anzen Anshin Shinwa) over human rights. Furthermore, the termination of housing support and policies encouraging return under exposure standards of 20 mSv per year are analyzed as forms of indirect violence. These measures intensify family dissolution, often described as Genpatsu Rikon, and deepen economic insecurity.

By situating these findings within the panel’s broader focus on policy reversal, this presentation concludes that addressing Fukushima’s mental health crisis requires more than clinical intervention. It demands a fundamental transformation in how structural injustice and social inequality are confronted, as these forces continue to marginalize these “domestic refugees” fifteen years after the catastrophe.