Paper short abstract:

Following the Fukushima Accident in 2011, citizen’s measurement movement of radiation gained prominence in Japan. I explore how the local groups, as a new actor, engaged in the measurement of radiation level of the air, food, water and soil, and affect to the monitoring activities of the government.

Paper long abstract:

Following the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in March 2011, citizen's movement against radioactive contamination gained prominence over a wide area in Japan. Not only criticizing and protesting against high standard values of regulation level which government adopted provisionally, citizens also started measuring radiation level by themselves using their own devises and equipments. A lot of individuals and local groups measured air radiation level, radioactivity of the food, water and soil of their residential area. They shared their data using internet, and used the data to the negotiations with the local government. This measurement movement also emerged in the place which government and experts considered a "non-affected" area including Tokyo.

In this paper, mainly based on the interviews of and documents by citizen's groups in the Tokyo metropolitan area, I describe how local groups engaged in the measurement of radiation level of their local environment. Finally, I explore how local citizen groups, as a new actor, affect to the expert-led monitoring practices of radiation at that time.