Disaster Journalism in Post-3.11 Japan – The Commitment of Yoshida Chia, Free Writer

The free writer Yoshida Chia represents an example of the engagement of disaster journalism after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in 2011. Since the Tōhoku triple disaster, Yoshida has devoted her career to reporting information from the refugee shelters provided for people from the evacuated zones of the Fukushima Prefecture. At the core of her journalistic inquiries lie evacuation and post-evacuation issues. By directly interviewing the refugees – especially mothers and children – Yoshida has provided access to information concerning life at the refugee shelters, underlining the political and economic burdens as well as the psychological and social costs that the post-3.11 disaster (in)justice provoked on the affected communities. After introducing the state of art in disaster journalism in Japan with particular emphasis on the role of women journalists in the media, this study examines the new professional figure of the ‘free writer’ presenting the case of Yoshida Chia and her commitment to aiding public engagement in coping with disaster (in)justice during the process of Tōhoku’s recovery. In order to do so, the focus of this article will be on Yoshida’s Reportage of the evacuation of mothers and children. The nuclear victims will fade (2016) and After Fukushima. People who live after the nuclear accident (2018).