A case study of economic incentives and local citizens' attitudes toward hosting a nuclear power plant in Japan: Impacts of the Fukushima accident

The attitude of local communities near a nuclear power plant (NPP) is a key factor in nuclear policy decision making in Japan. This case study compared local citizens' attitudes in 2010 and 2011 toward the benefits and drawbacks of hosting Kashiwazaki–Kariwa NPP. The Fukushima accident occurred in this period. After the accident, benefit recognition of utility bill refunds clearly declined, while that of public facilities did not, suggesting the influence of a bribery effect. The negative shift of attitudes about hosting the NPP after the accident was more modest in Kariwa Village, which saw a large expansion of social welfare programs, than in the other two areas, which lacked such a budget expansion. Policy implications of these results regarding the provision of economic incentives in NPP host areas after the Fukushima accident were discussed.