Survey Says? The People Are Pissed

As the months drag on and little is accomplished at any level towards the rebuilding of northeast Japan the Asahi Shinbun has conducted a survey of those displaced by the triple disasters. What the results show is reflected in the headline.

When asked their opinion on the use of nuclear energy, 70 percent of respondents said they were opposed while 26 percent said they were in favor of nuclear energy.


Despite the accident and uncertainty concerning how long the evacuation will continue, a large majority of respondents said they wanted to eventually return to the communities they were forced to leave.

A total of 79 percent said they either wanted to return or wanted to return if at all possible.
Having young children was an obvious reason for not wanting to return to Fukushima.

The deep disappointment felt by many of the respondents is due to the fact that many believed TEPCO and other experts who repeatedly said Japan's nuclear power plants were safe and that no accident would ever occur.

As a result of such experiences, a total of 80 percent of respondents said the government's response was either totally inappropriate or somewhat inappropriate.

Only 15 percent of respondents said the response was either very appropriate or somewhat appropriate.

The confused response by the central government meant many residents were forced to move from one evacuation center to another.