Why aren’t nuclear shelters widely used in Japan?

Tuesday 19/11/2024 | 15:45 PM

Japan is the only country in the world to have been attacked by nuclear bombs. Since it is probably the country that fears nuclear weapons most in the world, it follows that the majority of the population is also against them. However, North Korea is capable of a nuclear attack on Japan, and relations with China, which also possesses nuclear weapons, are not so good.

Japan feels the threat of nuclear attack, but it is no exaggeration to say that nuclear shelters are almost unheard of in Japan. Why are they found in North America and many European countries, but almost non-existent in Japan?

Percentage of the population provided with shelters by country

Countries are increasing their implementation of nuclear shelters:

Switzerland and Israel → 100%

Norway → 98%

United States → 8

Russia → 8%

United Kingdom → 67%

In contrast, Japan has only 0.02% coverage.

Can subways be shelters?
Japan has an extensive subway system, especially in urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka. Some people think that subway stations would provide shelter, but in reality, they would be useless. There are no reserves of water, food, or medical supplies. There are no generators, and ventilation comes directly from the outside air, making them impossible to protect people from nuclear or biological weapons.

Differences in thinking affect the diffusion rates of shelters

There is not much difference between Japan and the rest of the world in terms of the sense of urgency with which nuclear war might break out. However, it is said that Japan has a very different prediction of the outcome.

In the event of a nuclear war, countries are said to think in the following way:

Countries where shelters are widespread → “Humanity will almost be wiped out” (some will survive)

Japan → “Humanity will be wiped out” (no one will survive)

Most Japanese people think that even if they jumped into a shelter and survived for a few years, they would not be able to live on the contaminated land. Therefore, they are not really interested in the means of survival in shelters.

Although there are no more samurai in Japan, their view of life and death, the aesthetic of “dying gracefully” remains deep within the Japanese people, so they are not desperate to get just a few more years of life.

I don’t know which is right, but I personally don’t like the idea much of trying to survive in a nuclear shelter. Is it because I am Japanese?

It costs a lot of money to build a nuclear shelter. Furthermore, the amount of money required to protect all the people in the country is enormous. I think it would be a good idea to use that budget to aim for world peace and prevent nuclear war from happening.

What do you think?

ABE KENGO