ABSTRACT
In this chapter the author illustrates an informal locality based on the attitudes toward the nuclear in host and neighboring cities, focusing on the residents’ familiarity with the plant, the construct of a local knowledge about the nuclear industry, and various risk normalization strategies, which residents are increasingly relying on since the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The residents of Omaezaki, Kikugawa, and Makinohara the author interviewed talked about many factors besides the Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) influencing their perception of the place they call home. To most residents of this informal “nuclear locality,” the NPP is a familiar presence, normalized as part of the landscape. In contrast to the assumption that nuclear power is generally seen as a technology of “dread” and unknowability, the author's findings show that the majority of residents do not think of the NPP as a significant threat in their daily life.
