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Through the case study of the Association to Protect Abiko Children from Radioactive Contamination in
Abiko City, Chiba Prefecture, this paper examines the process by which the problem of low-radiation
exposure has been dealt with in a community outside Fukushima Prefecture after the Fukushima accident.
By utilizing what Charles Tilly calls the “repertoire of collective action,” we argue that the internet, in a
post-disaster community, is an arena in which new ideas concerning governance are formulated, networks
are constructed and supported, and citizens’ self-education is carried out. While observing how people
from a radiation-contaminated community have overcome fatalism, and have engaged in an action, and
what the role of the internet in this process was, this research gives insight in capacity of a modern
community to deal with unpredictable human-made accidents, through the extension of previously known
scenarios of post-disaster management1. This paper uses the typology of communication functions which
are central to social movements. In addition, analyzing the Association to Protect Abiko Children from
Radioactive Contamination weblog, this paper also explores whether the weblog demonstrated features
associated with certain communication functions. The results illustrated that this association could not
take full advantage of the web due to various reasons including organizational obstacles, cultural
objectives and resource shortage.
Research papers (academic journals)
