ABSTRACT
Six years have passed since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of March 2011 produced widespread radioactive contamination. However, conflicts continue regarding the health effects of radiation exposure resulting from the accident. On one hand, many people express serious concerns about the possibility of radiation-related cancer and other diseases, maintaining that our scientific knowledge about the effects of radiation remains incomplete. 1 On the other hand, government representatives have adopted the position that sufficient research has been accumulated on radiation effects and that there is and will be no observable health effects of the exposure that has occurred due to this disaster. The antagonism between the two sides has gone far beyond friendly exchanges of views and has involved extensive attacks on the combatants’ character and vested interests, to the point that reasoned discussion is now difficult (Nakamura 2013).
