ABSTRACT
The triple disasters-9.0 earthquake centered in Tōhoku, the massive accompanying tsunami, and the Fukushima nuclear accident-that rocked Japan on March 11, 2011 tested the country as nothing has since the end of World War II. Both the strengths and the weaknesses of Japan’s civil society were on display during the crisis. The vitality of Japan’s local civil society groups greatly mitigated the painful e ects of the triple disasters, and there can be no doubt that many owe their lives to these groups, directly or indirectly. At the same time, the inability over many years of civil society groups to act as e ective monitors or checks on state action also arguably contributed to the magnitude of the nuclear catastrophe, by failing to spur improvements in safety practices.
