| dc.description.abstract | Nuclear power became a controversial issue in Japan after the Fukushima accident in March 2011. The accident spurred a drastic change in nuclear policy in Germany, while Japan’s reaction was surprisingly less dramatic. This thesis seeks to answer the question; why have we not seen a drastic change in Japanese nuclear energy policy since the Fukushima accident? To answer the research question, this thesis will make use of focusing events theory and framing theory. Both used widely within the field of political science, focusing events theory can be applied to explain how significant shocks and events often lead to drastic policy change within a country, while framing theory helps defining the actors and policy entrepreneurs involved in deciding how an issue is being presented, and perceived as by the public. Focusing events theory would suggest that the Fukushima accident would work as a catalyst for policy change, however, that is not the case in Japan. By also utilizing framing theory, this thesis is able to explain why and how this did not happen. Analyzing the Basic Energy Plan revisions from both before and after the Fukushima accident, we are able to trace the changes within Japan’s energy policy, and the way nuclear energy is, and has been presented to the public by the Japanese government. This thesis concludes that the framing of nuclear power as a method to reach energy self-sufficiency has, and is, extremely strong within the Japanese government and industry, making it very difficult to shake or attempt changed. | eng |