An investigation into fairness and bias in educational materials produced by the Japanese government to teach school children about nuclear power and radiation

This chapter begins with an introduction to Japan's nuclear energy policy and the educational materials promoted by the Japanese government for use in formal education by teachers working in structured school settings. An account of various stakeholders' activities in criticising the unfairness of the government's educational materials comes next, with special attention paid to an original, alternative supplementary reader on radiation published by a research group based at Fukushima University. The chapter focuses on the 'fairness' or 'unfairness' of the government-produced educational materials for schoolchildren in formal education dealing with nuclear power and radiation, with a special focus on the supplementary readers. It concludes with information on improved educational materials to equip students with the critical thinking abilities required to engage in the national debate on energy triggered by the Fukushima nuclear accident, and empower them to participate in democratic decisions regarding the use of nuclear power.