About 16 kilometers south of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant sits an exhibition center dedicated to preserving the memory of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The center is located on the grounds of Hokyoji temple in Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture.

Known as the “Dengon-kan” (Memorial Museum), it was established by the late Chief Priest Atsuo Hayakawa, who passed away three years ago.

In January of this year, university students from Tokyo visited the museum, viewing exhibits that included historical posters from when the nuclear plant was first invited to the region, as well as the documentation of lawsuits related to the catastrophic accident of March 11, 2011.

The students listened attentively to a talk given by Sugie Tanji, 68, the facility’s administrative director.

When a student asked what local residents currently hope for, Tanji replied, “We want people to remember the nuclear disaster. We wish for as many people as possible to come to Fukushima—to see the situation with their own eyes and listen directly to the stories. The suffering isn't over yet.”

LONG ROAD TO DECOMMISSIONING

After the nuclear disaster 14 years ago, Tanji temporarily evacuated from the city of Iwaki to Gunma Prefecture.

There, she served as the plaintiff representative in a lawsuit against the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., seeking compensation while actively informing the public about the realities of the disaster.

Later, she was entrusted with managing the Dengon-kan by the temple’s late chief priest.

Tanji recalls occasionally overhearing critical remarks, such as "How long will you keep this up?" or even being labeled a "walking source of reputational damage."

Speaking openly about the dangers of nuclear energy at a time when the government promotes nuclear power as essential for decarbonization sometimes makes her hesitant about continuing her advocacy.

Despite these challenges, Tanji remains unwavering in her conviction that "the nuclear disaster cannot be erased."

At reactor No. 1 of the Fukushima No. 1 plant, workers are currently constructing a large enclosure to cover the exposed, rust-colored steel beams. Although this effort may appear as progress toward decommissioning, the reactor's interior remains untouched due to dangerously high radiation levels.

At the bottom of three destroyed reactors at the plant lie an estimated 880 tons of nuclear fuel debris.

Last autumn, workers successfully retrieved a tiny portion—just 0.7 gram—of the solidified melted uranium fuel for the first time. Given these circumstances, the government's and TEPCO’s goal of completing the decommissioning of all six reactors by 2051 seems increasingly unrealistic.

Meanwhile, although efforts to rebuild local communities near the plant have made gradual progress, areas equivalent to half the size of Tokyo’s 23 wards remain uninhabitable across seven neighboring municipalities.

Even in areas where evacuation orders have been lifted to allow residents to return home, student enrollment in elementary and junior high schools has reached only about 10 percent of pre-disaster levels.

PLEDGE TO REDUCE NUCLEAR POWER IS NO MORE

In contrast to the disaster site and surrounding areas—which, 14 years later, continue to face daunting challenges requiring prolonged, tenacious efforts—the government's nuclear energy policy has undergone swift and radical changes in recent years.

The latest version of the government's basic energy plan, guidelines for Japan's mid- to long-term energy policy, approved by the Cabinet this February, removed the post-disaster commitment to "reduce nuclear dependency as much as possible," previously considered the cornerstone of Japan's new energy policy.

This shift opens the door to the construction of new nuclear power plants and the expansion of existing facilities.

This major policy change began three years ago, triggered in part by Russia's aggression against Ukraine, as then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration started promoting the "maximum utilization" of nuclear energy as essential for securing the nation's energy supplies.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has emphasized the lower electricity costs in the Kansai and Kyushu regions, where nuclear reactors have resumed operations. The Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), the nation’s most powerful business lobby, has further underscored nuclear power as "indispensable for strengthening industrial competitiveness and achieving economic growth."

The global shift toward carbon neutrality and forecasts of increasing electricity demand have also been cited to justify reliance on nuclear energy. Ultimately, the government removed its longstanding commitment to reducing dependency on atomic energy from its strategic blueprint for Japan’s future energy supply.

Ruiko Muto, 71, co-representative of the Liaison Committee for Organizations of Victims of the Nuclear Disaster, expressed "deep disappointment and anger" over the recent policy shift.

She urged society not to forget the magnitude of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and called for renewed public discussions on Japan’s energy priorities and values.

Fourteen years ago, Japanese society was profoundly shaken by the devastating realities of a severe nuclear accident.

In response, the administration led by the former Democratic Party of Japan implemented stringent safety standards and established an independent regulatory framework for reactor restarts, imposing limits on reactor lifespans.

It also introduced the widely supported goal of achieving a gradual phase-out toward "zero nuclear" energy.

REAFFIRMING THE 'STARTING POINT'

The fundamental challenges posed by nuclear power generation remain unresolved. There is still no clear strategy for the permanent disposal of nuclear waste, and nuclear facilities remain vulnerable to becoming military targets during security crises.

Economically, constructing new nuclear plants is extremely costly—about 1 trillion yen ($6.8 billion) per reactor—likely necessitating substantial government subsidies to achieve commercially viable operations.

Most critically, the potential damage caused by a nuclear disaster vastly exceeds that of any other type of energy accident. In a country such as Japan, which is prone to earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic eruptions and heavy snowfall, these risks must never be underestimated.

Local residents living near nuclear plants continue to face daily anxieties and long-term hardships, while urban populations far from these facilities often overlook their burdens. The disconnect, which the nation painfully recognized 14 years ago, appears to be widening once more amid renewed enthusiasm for nuclear energy.

Massive quantities of contaminated soil from post-disaster decontamination efforts remain stored at an interim storage site near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Although the law requires that this soil be disposed of permanently outside Fukushima Prefecture by 2045, the path toward achieving this goal remains uncertain.

Recently, the mayor of Futaba, one of the two towns hosting the nuclear facility, reluctantly indicated a willingness to reuse the contaminated soil locally, expressing frustration over the disturbing lack of awareness among metropolitan Tokyo residents who benefited from nuclear-generated electricity.

Clearly, this was an agonizing decision for the community.

Compared to nuclear energy, renewable sources offer decentralized, flexible and promising solutions that significantly enhance national energy security through purely domestic production. The government should therefore prioritize expanding renewable energy and intensify efforts toward energy conservation.

What lessons has Japanese society truly learned from the Fukushima disaster?

It is essential to stay deeply engaged with the ongoing struggles in Fukushima, strive toward a society independent of nuclear power and never forget the painful experiences of the disaster as a guiding foundation for future energy policies.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 11