原子力技術の社会構成論

米国と日本の比較構造分析

抄録

　This paper aims to describe how the nuclear technology has been socially constructed. The author advocates social factors for the evaluation of the commercial power reactor in U. S. and Japan with methods such as Strong Program Items (causality, impartiality, symmetry, reflexivity) proposed by David Bloor. The author also suggests ten items for assessing technology (historical background, industrial technical potential, man power, budget, technical selection, safety, economical efficiency, market occupation, historical development continuance) as his original contribution to the discussion.
　 The results show that the most important factors that are able to conquer the world with the light-water reactor developed in U. S. are excellent safety and economical efficiency, especially the dominant position of the economical efficiency is the decisive factor. Furthermore, it was possible to commercialize Pressurized Water Reactor as well as Boiling Water Reactor without the military atomic submarine technology.
　 Obvious characteristics of the social construction of the nuclear technology in U. S. are appearing in the following technologies; (1) the production of atomic bombs in the Second World War, (2) the commercialization of the light-water reactor that pursued the safety and economical efficiency, (3) the freezing of the plutonium technology such as the reprocessing plant and fast breeder reactor.