Experimental Approaches to Multi-dimensional Justice and Process Design surrounding the Issue of Removed Soil

Abstract

The issue of removed soil needs to be emphasized from the perspective of multi-dimensional justice. Particularly, the residents who relinquished their land for use as interim storage facilities must be prioritized from the principle of maximum improvement for the least advantaged people. This paper summarizes the outcome of our research conducted to foster public acceptance of the removed soil issue with a focus on pluralistic justice. Various methods, including group decision experiments, citizen participation workshops, and gaming, have been used. Results of this exercise demonstrate that citizens can engage in dialogue while taking Fukushima residents into consideration and can make decisions that prioritize those carrying the burden under certain conditions. Nevertheless, some agenda points have also arisen and need to be addressed. Providing objective and neutral information does not necessarily evoke a sense of involvement. Moreover, people who are living at a distance from Fukushima and had never benefited from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant found it difficult to understand the perspectives of Fukushima residents who have borne the burden. Gaming was developed as one tool for tackling such problems, but it still has not been fully implemented within society. Finally, we discussed the next research projects to continue to target and overcome the above challenges.