Analysis of Stakeholders' Trust Level in the Nuclear Energy Domain in Japan

Abstract

In discussions on the nuclear restart policy in Japan, trust among stakeholders in nuclear power is often raised as an issue. However, the discussion has progressed without analyzing the trust demanded by the Japanese public. A questionnaire survey was conducted to analyze the level of trust that 4,700 Japanese citizens (100 from each of the 47 prefectures) have in nuclear stakeholders by breaking trust down into three elements: “Perceived Competence,” “Perceived Motivation,” and “Salient Value Similarity” (SVS), which have been reported in the literature. In the survey, nine stakeholders were targeted: the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA); the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI); the courts; the Diet; host municipalities; nuclear power operators and manufacturers (OMs); experts; research and international organizations (RIOs); and the mass media. The analysis showed that the Japanese public is particularly interested in SVS with “nuclear power operators and manufacturers” among the various nuclear stakeholders. The SVS of “nuclear power operators and manufacturers” was highly correlated with that of organizations promoting nuclear power, suggesting that the public tends to perceive these organizations as sharing similar values. These results offer suggestions for actions that should be taken by each nuclear stakeholder to restore and improve trust.