We need to describe or deal with uncertainty in risk analysis because risk inherently involves chance or probability. There have been many discussions to define uncertainty in risk analysis. However, different types of uncertainty appear in risk analysis in different ways. Some of them are quantifiable by probabilities, some are not. The appropriate method to characterize the uncertainty, which can be caused by incomplete knowledge or stochastic variability, depends on the kind of its source. The most important result of considering uncertainties in risk analysis is an insight that its consideration gives to the risk assessor. This review presents the basic concepts to deal with uncertainty in risk analysis.

View full abstract

Before implementation of public policies and decision of public work projects, proactive information disclosure, transparency and stakeholder involvement are needed in the decision-making processes from the planning stage. This paper describes a comparative study of stakeholder involvement in the decision-making processes in France and Japan, for the construction plan of nuclear power plants. In this study, we focused on legal frameworks and public opinion survey systems, and we conducted case studies. Consequently, we found differences in system design and pointed out legal issues. We have suggested the establishment of the definite system design and the development of laws, in order to consider stakeholders' opinions in the decision-making processes, and the operation improvement of Japanese hearing systems.

View full abstract

Media reporting often influences how people perceive risks.Using a content analysis as a method, this paper attempts to investigate acorrelation between newspaper reporting about BSE (bovine spongiformencephalopathy) and risk perception of Japanese consumers about the safety of beef.

View full abstract

Approaches of risk assessment used under food risk analysis become increasingly more complex and sophisticated, because social needs for risk management are more diverse. This research reviewed several existing reports about quantitative risk assessment and relevant guidelines focused on risk management goals, risk assessment policy, and the approach of risk estimates with the case of chemical risk and microbiological risk. Moreover these approaches were classified based on risk management goals. As a result, it was suggested that approaches of risk assessment could be classified according to three dimension provided to a risk management. It has three knowledge types about risk estimates: i) adopting multi-risk, ii) adopting distribution of risk, iii) adopting economic analysis.

View full abstract

An experimental study was conducted on the effects that information pertaining to possible lack of energy may have on risk perception, risk judgments, and exploration of risk-related information. Three hundred and twenty-three randomly-sampled individuals, aged between 20 and 59 years, living in the Osaka area (Japan) participated in the experiment. During the experiment, participants watched either a video with images portraying a society lacking electricity (experimental group) or a video without such images (control group). Then, they freely explored a database consisting of scientific, technological, economic, social, and institutional information on nuclear power generation. Participants' risk perception of nuclear power generation and degree of trust in the video and database producers, were measured using a questionnaire.
The results suggested that, in terms of risk communication, the trust of the receivers in the information provider tends to increase. That is, when the provider presents convincing risk information, the receiver tend to become increasingly afraid and dependent on the provider, and this tends to enhance his trust in the latter. Moreover, the receiver's trust in the provider was found, in the case of nuclear power generation, to be determined by the expectation of the provider's ability, but not directly, that is, through the expectation of the latter's prosociality.

View full abstract