Disasters as Enablers of Negotiation for Sustainability Transition: A Case from Odaka, Fukushima

Abstract

Disaster risk at the community level is likely to increase as climate change worsens. In this study, the author investigated the impact of disasters on negotiation for community development, particularly as a promoter of sustainability negotiation. Studies on agenda setting in policy making and critical moments in negotiation were thoroughly reviewed. Based on the review, the author presents an extraordinary case of the Odaka community from Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. This community experienced a critical moment in the negotiation of its development after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 and a subsequent nuclear disaster. The community also experienced a 5-year-long forced evacuation due to nuclear contamination from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station. This case reveals a major shift in four aspects of negotiation—parties, interests, relationship, and legitimacy—and a transition to more sustainable developments. It also demonstrates the possibility that disasters can enable negotiation for more sustainable development patterns by transforming the associated settings.