In the early 80s the Japanese government payed for a series of PSAs to run in Japanese newspapers and magazines. The objective: to drum up support for nuclear power in the wake of the Three Mile Island incident and during a time construction of new plants continued to be strong.
In a modern-day context the ads appear more as propaganda than anything else.
October 1982 | “the world’s most advanced technology is being used to support Japanese nuclear power”
March 1982 | “Above all else we are prioritizing safety in generating nuclear power”
October 1983 | “autumn evening – reading a book by the light of nuclear power” (top) “welcome to Japan. This winter your home will be warmed by nuclear-generated electricity” (bottom)
October 1986 | “Walking towards a brighter future, by nuclear energy”
June 1981 | We are learning from our mistakes from the Tsuraga Power Station incident and renewing our commitment to safety.
(In March 1981, drainage from unit 1 caused a release of radioactivity. The forty-day cover-up of a spill of 16 tons of radioactive primary cooling water was revealed only in April)
I wonder if soon we will see similar ads running again, except “Tsuruga” will be replaced by “Fukushima?”
source: Yukichi Amano’s blog
