The effects of the Earthquake and Tsunami of March 2011 in the Economy of Japan

The great east earthquake  In Japan of 2011

 

日                    本                    の                    津                    波

The effects of the earthquake and tsunami of March 11 of 2011 in the economy of Japan

 

By

Ricardo González

Ricardo6875@gmail.com
+58 424 1122655

Andres Bello Catholic University

Theoretical framework

The world has been witness of the regional, national and global impact of geographical tragedies due to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, and so on. This has meant a frozen of the economy in the affected countries at first, and then in a global scale affecting other countries significantly, specially developing countries.

According to a report submitted by the United Nations in 2009 titled The Global Economic and Financial Crisis: “The five Regional Commissions come together at a time in which the world’s economies face some of the most difficult challenges presented in the past century: from climate change effects to extreme food/fuel price volatility to the worst global recession since the Great Depression. The effects these are having on developing countries’ efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals are worrisome.”

Climate Change is currently one of the most discussed topics in the General Assembly of the United Nations, which includes the high risks of world pollution, contamination and greenhouse gases that are generating a world climate change with terrible consequences for many countries around the world and it represents a threat to the planet earth’s life itself.

The report also says:

“Sharp declines in aggregate demand across all five regions are taking their toll on industrial production and leading to rising unemployment. Factory closures and layoffs will hurt the working poor, especially women and youth, as the manufacturing industry employs large numbers of unskilled workers. This will place an enormous economic burden on many developing economies. In the labour force, the main casualties are those with flexible employment-low skilled, temporary, casual workers. Women often constitute the majority of these workers. The damage also lasts much longer than the crisis itself”.  

Geographical tragedies causes the loss of thousands of houses, buildings, population, jobs and have critical economic effects, especially on the industrial production, since it makes possible the exports and Imports of domestic products among developed and developing countries. 

How does a tectonic system works?

According to Evolving Earth: Plate Tectonics in 2006:

“Plate tectonics says that the Earth's strong outer layer (called the lithosphere, which consists of crust and uppermost mantle) is broken into a mosaic of plates that slowly move over a mechanically weaker layer (the asthenosphere, which is part of the upper mantle). Where these plates interact, major geological processes take place, such as the formation of mountain belts, earthquakes, and volcanoes”.

Therefore, it could be said that an earthquake is produced as a natural disaster. However a 2009 paper by Bill McGuire, professor at University College London, says:

“Observations suggest that the ongoing rise in global average temperatures may already be eliciting a hazardous response from the geosphere. When the ice is lost, the earth’s crust bounces back up again and that triggers earthquakes, which trigger submarine landslides, which cause tsunamis”.

McGuire continues saying in his paper: “Scientists have known for some time that climate change affects not just the atmosphere and the oceans but also the earth’s crust. These effects are not widely understood by the public. In the political community people are almost completely unaware of any geological aspects to climate change”.

In this sense, one could think that Climate Change could possibly cause earthquakes on planet earth as a result of human activity. This is not intent to say that Japan’s earthquake’s fault was humanity, but humanity itself could think for a moment of its activities’ consequences when Planet Earth’s care is not being taken enough into consideration to protect the environment and avoid future disasters. 

What causes a Tsunami?

Emergency Management BC develops the causes of a tsunami:

“A tsunami is usually caused by a powerful earthquake under the ocean floor. This earthquake pushes a large volume of water to the surface, creating waves. These waves are the tsunami. In the deep ocean these waves are small. As they approach the coast these waves get bigger and more dangerous. Tsunami waves can cause tremendous damage when they reach land. A tsunami can also be triggered by a volcanic eruption, landslide, or other movements of the Earth’s surface”.

Furthermore, a tsunami generates several consequences that can affect not only many citizens’ lives, but the entire economy of a country and the world, such as: massive destruction of cities, including building, houses and large hectares of crops. Consequently, many companies and factories might stop working and making products since they are also affected and at risk, depending on the critical situation after a tsunami.

The 2011 Tsunami in Japan: How it all begun

On March 11 of 2011 a tsunami reached the north coasts of Japan at Fukushima prefecture causing several damages to towns, buildings, houses, crop fields and harming many people, as they became victims of the tsunami and were never found until today.

An article in the New York Times describes the situation as: “The 8.9-magnitude earthquake set off a devastating tsunami that sent walls of water washing over coastal cities in the north. Concerns mounted over possible radiation leaks from two nuclear plants near the earthquake zone.” F. Martin, (2011).

The problem first started with the tsunami and surprised many Japanese and the world itself. NHK (the most famous Japanese television) transmitted the first images of the water reaching the coasts of Sendai (a port city in northeastern Japan) and destroying many crop fields, warehouses, homes, cars and trucks, etc. Meanwhile thousands of Japanese citizens recorded the horrible scene as they saw their houses, automobiles and businesses vanish away under the water.

The New York Times chronicles the event as a nightmare:

 “Thousands of homes were destroyed, many roads were impassable, trains and buses were not running, and power and cellphones remained down. On Friday, at 2:46 p.m. Tokyo time, the quake struck. First came the roar and rumble of the temblor, shaking skyscrapers, toppling furniture and buckling highways. Then waves as high as 30 feet rushed onto shore, whisking away cars and carrying blazing buildings toward factories, fields and highways. By Saturday morning, Japan was filled with scenes of desperation, as stranded survivors called for help and rescuers searched for people buried in the rubble. Rescuers found 870 people in one elementary school on Saturday morning and were trying to reach 1,200 people in the junior high school, closer to the water. There was no electricity and no water for people in shelters. According to a newspaper, the Mainichi Shimbun, about 600 people were on the roof of a public grade school, in Sendai City. By Saturday morning, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and firefighters had evacuated about 150 of them. People were frantically searching for their relatives. Train service was shut down across central and northern Japan, including Tokyo, and air travel was severely disrupted. The floodwaters, thick with floating debris shoved inland, pushed aside heavy trucks as if they were toys”. F. Martin, (2011).7

Many Japanese news media like NHK, TBS and Fuji TV said that the government officials admitted that the amount of bodies found would rise to more than 1,000, although they had already found 300 bodies along the waterline in Sendai.

Furthermore, all subways and airports in Tokyo were closed. Many residents had to go back home by walking hundreds of miles around the metropolitan area: “Still 18 hours after the earthquake, thousands of people in dark suits were still trudging home from the central business district. F. Martin, (2007) New York Times.

Afterwards the tsunami also reached the coasts of Hawaii in the USA with seven-foot waves causing little damage but warning the US government of the critical situation.

The earthquake of March 11 of 2011 and its consequences

One of the main consequences of the earthquake in Japan was the triggered of a radiation crisis that started with the Fukushima Power Plant in the Fukushima prefecture. There were three reactors at risk of a meltdown and two of them exploded due to several aftershocks. Many citizens and workers were put at risk of high level of nuclear radiation, including many animals in the surrounding areas of Fukushima. 

According to an article published by Richard Harris in the National Public Radio of the USA (NPR): "The government prohibited the release of any food that had had increased levels of radiation in them," Says John Boice, a cancer epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University. "So there wasn't milk out there in the public supply. There wasn't any fish that had levels that were increased." (2012)

However the Government tried to prevent any spread of disease within Japanese population and restricted access to contaminated food. Nowadays the radiation is contaminating many parts of Fukushima prefecture and Sendai has become a ghost town, since there are no longer any people living there. Many animals also died due to exposure to radiation and the survivors walk wildly.

Psychological

Psychological effects are notable in Japan after such tragedy. The public is suffering from the trauma of the tsunami and its effects, the losing of relatives, beloved ones, livelihoods, jobs, business, etc. Many elderly people who used to live at the Fukushima prefecture had farms with crop fields and they devoted their lives to it, but after the tsunami there is nothing left but ruins. Many elderly people were forced to be evacuated to other cities. In Tokyo hundreds of elderly people live in shelters provided by the government and they do nothing but enjoy their leisure time like watching movies, listening to music, reading novels and manga, etc.

According to Frank Langfitt in an article published in NPR, a Japanese citizen called Yukata Yoshioka who used to have a cosmetics and clothing shop in Fukushima prefecture, lives now in an abandoned high school in Tokyo which serves as an evacuation center for 900 nuclear refugees. Yukata says life at the center is very dull: "In the morning, boxed meal. Boxed meal for lunch, boxed meal for dinner," he says.  "Since I have no job, I'm just being lazy, lying around watching TV."

The article continues:

“Yoshioka shares a high school athletic room with 40 people. There's no privacy: Young women dress behind cardboard boxes. Yoshioka marks the days by the movies he watches. He's worked his way through four of the Rocky films. The government has closed most of the major evacuation centers and resettled people in apartments and temporary homes. When his center closes, Yoshioka doesn't know what he'll do. At 63, he doubts he can find a job. ‘I'm too old, so it is impossible,’ says Yoshioka, who wears blue shorts, a white T-shirt and rubber sandals. ‘I can't adapt to a place like here.’" (2011).

Clearly many people still do not know what they will do with their lives after the tsunami; they cannot neither go back to their hometown in Fukushima because there are high levels of nuclear radiation nor find a job in their new host cities because they are very old or simply not required. This represents a negative point to the economy of Japan with the increase of unemployed people.  

According to Richard Harris from NPR (2012), Evelyn Bromet, a psychiatry researcher at SUNY Stony Brook says: “It will be essential to deal with both physical health and mental health in the years to come”

Societal

People who lost their families, children, homes, jobs, their city and beloved ones are suffering. This was a tremendous impact in many Japanese lives after the tsunami, according to a documentary made by Dan Edge (investigate reporter) from Frontline named “Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown, published in February 28 of 2012.

Apparently not only Japanese citizens had a life changing impact after the earthquake, but also many firemen, soldiers, plant workers, engineers, government workers including Prime Minister Naoto Kan who had to find out how to solve such a crisis in an environment of panic, fear, unknown matters, lacking of experience with nuclear disasters, etc. Furthermore many people worldwide who watched terrified the images of the tsunami through the media were shocked.

The living ones are more important than the dead ones

Despite all the efforts of the Japanese Government and the Media to inform Japanese citizens about the situation in Fukushima and evacuate all citizens two miles away from the coast not to be exposed to high levels of nuclear radiation, many remained looking for their family members in an environment of desperation, fear and sadness. The engineers who risked their lives working in the Fukushima plant after the earthquake told survivors: “The living ones are more important than the dead ones”.

Engineers knew they would be exposed to radiation when going to the plant to prevent a complete meltdown from the reactors that would contaminate not only Japan as a whole, but also the entire world; so they went in the plant anyway. Yoshiyuki Yamaoka, a Self-Defense Force [SDF] co-pilot on its mission says: “It was not a place for humans. The radiation was very high. Each worker was limited to 17 minutes in the reactor facilities”. Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown (2012)

According to an article published by Gretchen Gavett from Frontline in February 27, 2012:

“The mission was difficult and risky. If the helicopter flew higher than 300 feet, it would risk missing its target. If it flew below 300 feet, it could expose the pilots to dangerous levels of radiation. Soviet pilots who’d performed a similar mission during the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 subsequently died of cancer. For protection, the helicopter was bolted with Tungsten plates to protect the pilots, who wore protective gear, from gamma rays”.

Yoshiyuki Yamaoka says: “…we could see the steam, so I knew it had gone in. We did it. We did it. We did it for everyone. That’s how I felt.” (2012).

       

        Behind the scene many workers of the plant just wanted to leave and go home fearing to be exposed to high levels of radiation and die. Prime Minister arrived in TEPCO headquarters and had a serious meeting with TEPCO’s executives, ordering them not to abandon the plant, because if so 6 reactors and 7 fuel pools would be abandoned. Naoto Kan pointed out:

“This is a very tough situation but you cannot abandon the plant. The fate of Japan hangs in the balance. All those over 60 should be prepared to lead the way in a dangerous place, otherwise we are handing Japan over to an invisible enemy. This would affect not just Japan but the whole world”. (2011)

            Although TEPCO replied they never intended to abandon the plant, but just considering withdrawing some workers, the despair and fear of many workers was clear.

Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown’s documentary points out: “The workers who battled to save the plant face an uncertain future. None of them have died for their exposure to radiation, but more than a hundred receive dozes which increase their risk of developing cancer in the future” (2011)

One could say that the effects of the March 11/2011 tsunami in Japan were devastating, but the remaining effects it had on those workers who risked their lives and all those citizens who lost their families and did not care to be exposed to radiation is terribly astonishing.

                          OVERVIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE

 As it can be seen from this table, the earthquake caused a lot of damage in Japan, its society and its economy becoming the worst crisis Japan has faced in history.

“Today, the reactors are buried under tons of rubble and have reached a state of cold shutdown — the temperature where the reactor is cool. It will likely take 20 to 30 years to clean up.  And a 12-mile exclusion zone around the plant has forced more than 100,000 people from their homes.” Edge, D. (2012)

In this way many Japanese face an uncertain future and will have to figure out how to survive until they can go back to their hometown in Fukushima and rebuild their houses and business. 

            Edge, D. (2012) describes the new goals for Japan:

“So the challenge that faces the Japanese government, if possible, is to bring people back to their homes if it's safe, or develop a decontamination strategy to try and make areas safe that aren't now. But these are all things for the future, and the government is feeling its way toward this at the moment."

                                         Methodological framework

There was a quiz made to about 35 professors from several universities in Japan in the field of economics and communication management and also a quiz to more than 115 Japanese students and professionals living in many parts of Japan from many study fields.

The questions were:

1.    How do you think the earthquake has affected the economy of Japan?

2.    What do you think are the biggest challenges that Japan must face for the recovering of the economy?

3.   Are there any possible solutions you could suggest to make Japan’s economy stronger in the coming days?

        Many claim that there are problems with electric power nowadays in many parts of Japan, mostly towns and countryside places. Others affirm that many people are working very hard now but the economy is getting very bad so it is very difficult to ascend economically. Takahiro Miki, a Japanese English student in Takasaki – Gumma Prefecture, says: “Some areas in my city can't use electricity for 2 hours”.

           

          Ayako Nishikado, a Japanese teacher in a school in Tokyo says:

“Many workers are still poor in spite of their hard works. They are called ‘WORKING POOR’ in Japan. It was said the strong point of Japan was that we can make good products, now I don’t think so. And I heard that many children want to be public employees because they don’t want to work in business fields”. (2012)

      

     According to the previous questions in the quiz, Saki Nagamune, a Japanese worker believes that the shutdown for domestic plants and the production halted in many factories in Japan after the earthquake is decreasing sales for foreign companies temporarily and Japan needs to work on the reconstruction of many industries to improve the economy.

      Takayo Taku, a Japanese graduate student of Keisen University in Tama City - Tokyo says: “I often see articles where elderly and farmers have become obscured by the economic problems and they commit suicide”. (2012)

     Furthermore, talking about the problems with the electric power, Takayo says: “Last summer was done voluntarily electricity blackout that cut power companies about an hour or two in some areas. Effect was also quite out of the shop business hours by it. Shops are required electricity to move the cash register, you cannot even buy anything”. (2012)

          Ken Ueda, a Japanese teacher in Osaka, says:

     

        “I think many Japanese companies are in a bad situation now. The fabric of Toyota, for example, stopped producing so many cars. It seems like the market to export products to foreign countries was also cut off. Furthermore the electric companies in Japan were also very affected and it became a serious problem recently”. (2012)

In fact, according to Terie Langeland in an article published in Bloomberg news, many Japanese manufactures have closed their plants after the earthquake:

“‘Sony, Japan’s biggest exporter of consumer electronics, halted operations at 10 factories and two research centers because of power outages and damages’, said Mami Imada, a spokeswoman for the Tokyo-based company. Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, said it closed all 12 factories in Japan through Wednesday, and its auto-body makers’ plants are closed today. Honda Motor Co. said it would stop output at plants in four locations. Japan worked to contain an emergency at a nuclear plant north of Tokyo as local police said the death toll from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami may top 10,000. Tokyo Electric Power Co., battling possible meltdowns at its nuclear reactors, planned rolling blackouts in Tokyo and eight surrounding prefectures to conserve power”. (2011)

         This represents a big problem for the economy of Japan because these companies are in top of the most effectives and popular in the country to commerce with foreign countries and get a strong and solid economy.

Ueda Ken continues saying:

 “I think we need to receive money from many countries and invest, and they should not lose interest in Japan. We need to recover from the electricity problem. Japan’s electricity plants have to stand and become strong again, but at this time all these goals seem very difficult to achieve”.

This is a graphic made out of the quiz’s 14 answers received after asking more than 150 teachers and students in Japan:

  

                               

 As it can be seen in the graphic, one of the most critical problems nowadays in Japan after the earthquake is the electricity in many cities within the country. Apparently there are places that stopped receiving energy for about 2 hours some days, because many electric companies are not working anymore.

Japan Debates Energy Future

After the accident in Fukushima, many Japanese are skeptical to use nuclear energy in Japan and ask the government to implement alternative energies for the country. 

Kono Taro, a member of the Parliament in the opposition Liberal Democratic Party said to NPR in an interview: “People generally agree we should not add any more nuclear reactors. And any nuclear reactor that has been operated for 40 years should be de-commissioned. Then, by 2050, our nuclear power will be zero” (2011).

According to a report submitted by the World Nuclear Association updated in 2012, there are four important reasons for why Japan uses Nuclear Energy:      

1.    Japan needs to import about 84% of its energy requirements (because of its few natural resources).

2.    Its first commercial nuclear power reactor began operating in mid-1966, and nuclear energy has been a national strategic priority since 1973. This is now under review following the 2011 Fukushima accident.

3.    The country’s 50 main reactors have provided some 30% of the country’s electricity and this was expected to increase to at least 40% by 2017 and 50% by 2030.

4.    Japan has a full fuel cycle set-up, including enrichment and reprocessing of used fuel for recycle.

 The same report says that the government confirmed they will work to reduce dependency on nuclear energy as much as possible as a short and long term solution.

However, despite oppositions, Japan knows its commitment towards Nuclear Energy and it is developing many programs for the promotion of safe nuclear energy and investigation on this field. As one of the projects that is taking place in the IAEA School of Nuclear Energy Management in Tokai Mura, Japan from 11 to 29 June 2012, that involves international experts including experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who will be investigating in the following areas: energy planning and nuclear power economics, nuclear safety, security and safeguards, nuclear human resource and knowledge management, radiation protection and communicating radiation risks, nuclear technologies and radioactive waste management, and many more; according to Rodolfo Quevenco from the IAEA Division of Public Information in 2012.

Most of the affected companies in Japan after the earthquake are Toyota, Nissan with more than 20 factories halted; Kirin Holdings, Fuji Heavy Industries, GlaxoSmithKline and Nestlé which halt operations as well as Sony who suspended production at 8 plants.

         

           According to Tim Webb from Theguardian in the UK:

“Japanese firms and investors are racing to repatriate their assets, selling dollars and other foreign currencies, to prepare for the cost of rebuilding their domestic economy, which will push up the yen's value. It is feared this will make exports more expensive and choke off the hoped-for, export-led recovery”. (2011).

Some possible solutions

           Kono Taro, a legislature member in Japan, suggests to NPR: “We are surrounded by the ocean, so we could do a lot of offshore wind power”. This could be a good solution to decrease the use of nuclear energy in Japan due to the huge amount of water that is around and within the country.

          Taro also gives his attention to promoting solar energy in places where there are fields available for it in Japan, like many rice fields where the seawater has covered and it is not fit to grow rice for some time.

          There are also many NGOs currently working worldwide to help Japan recovers soon from the disaster like the U.S. Agency for International Development that sent a working team to Tokyo for some technical assistance, as well as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission who is seriously considering sending its own experts.

            According to Episcopal Relief & Development in 2011: “Prime Minister Naoto Kan told a news conference in Tokyo late Sunday: ‘I think that the earthquake, tsunami and the situation at our nuclear reactors makes up the worst crisis in the 65 years since the war. If the nation works together, we will overcome’”.

Japan today – 2012

         

           There are many people around the world who are working very hard to support Japan from its tragedy on march 2011 and many institutions as well as several volunteer youths who participate in programs like the Ship for World Youth with more than 5000 youths around the world who are actively working in many social activities and helping people who was very affected by the earthquake.

            

         Waseda University is one of the most famous universities in Tokyo - Japan and it established the headquarters for disaster control immediately after the earthquake to confront the safety of all students, alumni, faculty and staffs; and also took emergency measures and saved electricity. In parallel Waseda established the office for reconstruction from the great east Japan’s earthquake and have developed various activities for reforestation according to a video courtesy of Tomoya Shibayama Laboratory within the university.

            

               Many universities as well as their alumni are working very hard for the reconstruction of Japan in many parts of the country. The Japan Earthquake Response Fund was an initiative from the Episcopal Relief & Development to collect donations from NGOs and people who are willing to help Japan after the earthquake.

            

             However, the Japanese Government is currently reconsidering its budget expenses and not only reducing its budget estimated to many scholarship programs for Japanese students around the world, but cutting them off for economic reasons. For example, in Venezuela there used to be a range of 8 full scholarships provided to research students to study abroad in Japan and now it has decreased to only 4 per year.

                                                                      

                                                                      Conclusions

           

           Japan has faced one of the most tragic events in history due to the 2011 earthquake that hit its north east coasts causing a lot of damage. There are many problems with electricity energy, people losing jobs, the economy getting worse and a nuclear crisis that started in Fukushima. Nevertheless Japan is the third largest economy in the world and it is one of the most developed countries on the planet earth. Japanese people are very hard and fast working. Just one year after the earthquake, many places in Japan has been rebuilt already and cleaned up, although there are still many parts with high levels of radiation, but in safe conditions according to the news and according to the Japanese government.  

            Japan will recover and overcome all this tragedy as Prime Minister said, “…if we work together, we will overcome” (2011). Besides, Japan is receiving a lot of support from many countries and people around the world and Japanese citizens are doing their best efforts to improve things very fast.

            After the earthquake many people felt wounded from their spirits and became very sad and skeptical that things would get better, but faith and hope should not be lost as it is a Japanese tradition to make a wish to Daruma, drawing only one eye on its face, therefore the hope should remain in Japanese spirits until Japan recovers soon, in order to draw the second eye on the Daruma’s face, as a dream come true.

                                                                      References

The global economic and financial crisis, [New York]: Regional Impacts, responses and solutions. United Nations publications. Bangkok – Thailand, 2009.

Evolving Earth: Plate Tectonics (2006). United States – University of Michigan [Online website] retrieved from: http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/evolving_earth/evolving_earth.html [2006, October 09]

Mims, C. (2011) Does climate change mean more tsunamis? [Online website] Retrieved from: http://grist.org/climate-change/2011-03-11-todays-tsunami-this-is-what-climate-change-looks-like/

Emergency Management BC (n.d.) what causes a Tsunami?  ? [Online website] Retrieved from: http://www.pep.bc.ca/tsunamis/causes_1.htm

Fackler, M. (2011) Powerful Quake and Tsunami Devastate Northern Japan. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/world/asia/12japan.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Langfitt, F. (2011) Areas Of Northern Japan May Be Off-Limits For Years. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/2011/09/13/140411068/in-northern-japan-residents-face-a-new-reality

Harris, R. (2012) Trauma, Not Radiation, Is Key Concern In Japan. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/2012/03/09/148227596/trauma-not-radiation-is-key-concern-in-japan

Edge, D. (Director/Producer), (2012). Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown [Documentary]. Japan: Frontline

One Year Later, ‘Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown’ (2012) NPR [Online Website] retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/2012/02/28/147559456/one-year-later-inside-japans-nuclear-meltdown

Langeland, T. (2011). Sony, Toyota Shut Factories After Power Shortages Follow Earthquake Damage. Bloomberg [Online Website] retrieved from: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-14/toyota-sony-factories-shuttered-amid-earthquake-damage-power-shortages.html

Nuclear Power in Japan (2012) World Nuclear Association [Online Website] retrieved from: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf79.html

Quevenco, R. (2012). IAEA School of Nuclear Energy Management Opens in Japan. International Atomic Energy Agency [Online Website] retrieved from: http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/2012/schoolnemjapan.html

Langfitt, F. (2011). After Nuclear Mishap, Japan Debates Energy Future [Online Website] retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/2011/09/06/140219721/after-nuclear-mishap-japan-debates-energy-future

Episcopal Relief & Development (2011). Effects of Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Widespread [Online Website] retrieved from: http://www.er-d.org/JapanEarthquakeTsunamiMar2011

                                                                      Interviews

Takahiro Miki, Japanese English student in Takasaki – Gumma Prefecture.

Ayako Nishikado, Japanese teacher in a school in Tokyo.

Saki Nagamune, Japanese worker in Tokyo.

Takayo Taku, Japanese graduate student of Keisen University in Tama City – Tokyo.

Ken Ueda, Japanese teacher in Osaka – Japan.

Taku Hiramatsu, professor in Financial Management and International Finance at Kyushu University in Kyushu Prefecture - Japan