Post-accident changes in the interests of residents of a municipality near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station: text analysis of residents’ town meeting minutes

Long-term recovery from a nuclear accident requires processes such as rebuilding people’s social lives and restoring the environment; therefore, it is important to consider and prepare a realistic and concrete recovery timeline. In Futaba Town, where the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station is located, there are three types of areas with very different recovery situations, even more than 10 yr after the accident: areas where the evacuation order has been lifted, the restricted area and the interim storage facility for contaminated soil and waste. This study explored the changes in residents’ interests related to rebuilding their lives through quantitative text analyses of their statements at residents’ meetings; 804 comments and questions from residents in the minutes of meetings held in 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2022 were analysed. The results showed people’s changing interests over time, influenced by the government’s planned reconstruction projects. In the later part of the study period, we noted an increased interest in history, culture and nature, which was linked to improvements in people’s quality of life. This was consistent with the shift from the material to spiritual aspects of people’s needs, which has also been observed in the aftermath of natural disasters.