The Science and Technology Studies (STS) approach examines the inextricable connections and relationships between the different realms of science, technology, and society, as informed by relevant disciplines in the social sciences and humanities such as sociology, history, anthropology, and psychology. Technoscientific disasters can reveal emergent problems and knowledge gaps in social and physical infrastructure and generate intense debate among an expanding number of stakeholders (Clancey 2012b).

The scientific and technical expertise required to manage the aftermath of the Fukushima accident may or may not be sufficient, but expertise in the social and humanistic dimensions of scientific and technical knowledge has certainly been underdeveloped and would clearly add value to the recovery process. By examining the post-Fukushima accident recovery context from an STS perspective, a better understanding of how citizens, medical institutions, governmental institutions, nuclear industry, and radiation experts shape and are shaped by the social, cultural, and political forces of science and can be analyzed (Fortun and Frickel 2012; Clancey 2012b).

“Radiation-society interaction” problems have partly stemmed from diverse advice and statements from experts, official sources, and the media, bringing about widespread distrust in “expert advice” (Brumfiel and Fuyuno 2012; Clancey 2012a). Straight after the hydrogen explosions released radioactive material into the atmosphere, varying official statements and radiation readings drove concerned citizens, most of whom only had superficial knowledge of radiation issues, to turn to the internet and social media. Online there was much discussion, but naturally no consensus (and much misinformation) about the effects of radiation on health. The official media played an equally damaging role by creating misleading information regarding internal exposure (Sakai 2011) leading to even greater confusion, radiation anxiety, and uncertainty.

The residents of Japan have a genuine and legitimate desire to be aware and engaged on the subject of radiological effects on human health and what has happened and is happening in Fukushima. However, as they are reluctant to trust official reports or as reports from experts are transmitted in technical jargon, there is a breakdown in communication between the government, experts, and the larger community. The inclusion of STS and science communication for physicians, health professionals, and medical students in the implementation of this project could contribute to improved understanding and communication between health professionals and the populations they serve.

NAHU emphasizes that education, research, and public engagement are key components of “readiness, response, and recovery” in tackling future nuclear accidents. All relevant groups including the national government, local governments, local and foreign experts, medical institutions, and society itself have a part to play in the “readiness, response, and recovery” in the “radiation-society interaction” context. As physicians and health professionals form the team of first responders to nuclear accidents, strengthening radiation medicine education and research that involves elements of STS is vital to preparation for future nuclear accidents. In Sects. 7.7 and 7.8, we discuss the two STS-oriented projects that are being implemented in order to raise these related issues to global attention and to guide policy.

A sharing of radiation medicine expertise from Hiroshima University, Nagasaki University, the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), and Fukushima Medical University (FMU) is especially important due to their experience in radiation specialization. Together, innovative solutions to fill these knowledge gaps have been proposed by academic institutions in the form of curricular and education programs.

Hiroshima University has recognized that the management of radiation disaster recovery requires “global leaders who have comprehensive knowledge of various disciplines” (Kamiya et al. 2012), highlighting the importance of risk communication and radiation education. With the support of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Hiroshima University launched a new Ph.D. program in 2011 in radiation disaster recovery studies, called the “Phoenix Leader Education Program for Renaissance from Radiation Disaster” (Okamoto et al. 2012). Phoenix leaders will be educated to respond to radiation disasters in a comprehensive way, protecting individual human lives, the environment, and society.

Similarly, Nagasaki University has generated extensive data and experience from not only caring for atomic bomb victims in Japan but also collaborating in studies on the Chernobyl nuclear accident site and among affected people in Belarus. The university realized the need for trained personnel for radiation risk control and thus launched a Master’s course in radiation nursing in 2011 (Takamura 2012). Nurses from the Master’s course participated in the medical relief team in the Fukushima accident recovery efforts. Nagasaki University also dispatched radiation emergency medical assistance teams (REMAT) to FMU Hospital after the Fukushima accident (Matsuda 2012) to support the recovery efforts.

FMU initially had only a small number of medical staff who was capable of responding to the needs of Fukushima residents and of addressing radiation and disaster issues related to psychosocial problems. The university’s approach was to establish the Education Center for Disaster Medicine and to conduct the Fukushima Health Management Survey to monitor health conditions of Fukushima residents (Yamashita and Kumagai 2012a). Disaster medical seminars are held at the Education Center for Disaster Medicine to develop radiation-related knowledge among existing medical staff at Fukushima hospitals in the short term and to build capacity of health professionals well-trained in disaster management in the long run (Yamashita and Kumagai 2012b).

NIRS has highlighted the knowledge gap of insufficient widespread basic knowledge and experience in radiation protection in medical education, without which physicians and health professionals will not be able to respond to a nuclear disaster appropriately. In response to this issue, NIRS revised the Guidelines for Medical Education, which is a reference for medical school curricula, on 31 March 2011, just after the Great East Japan earthquake (Akashi 2012). In April 2012, NIRS released a “Reference Document on Education and Self-Study Related to Radiation Medicine in Medical Education,” which calls for the inclusion of radiation exposure and protection in all medical curricula (NIRS 2012).

This project aims to enhance global radiation medicine education and training of physicians, health professionals, and medical students in radiation disaster management. It was clear from early medical responses at Fukushima Medical University that the physicians and health professionals were medically and psychologically unprepared to handle a nuclear accident, such that they needed to refer to textbooks for basic radiation decontamination procedures and experienced anxiety and confusion due to a dearth of information on the current situation of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant (Hasegawa et al. 2012

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