Saving tourism or preventing FMD? Risk discourses in Japan's island community

Abstract

Based on my ethnographic observation of the risk discussion of the possible spread of foot-and-mouth disease in Nagasaki's Fukue Island in the summer of 2010, I examine how members of a local community in Japan attempted to discursively link their local-level political-economic decision with what they believed to be a global discourse. By comparing it with the counter discourse from those in Japan's tourism industry and an athletic community, I argue that two different risk discourses at the local level are influenced by the complex processes of globalization.

Keywords::

• globalization
• risk
• sports
• tourism
• Japan

Notes

^1. “Kōteieki mondai de Gotō aianman chūshi,” [Goto Ironman Cancelled due to the FMD Problem] Nagasaki Shinbun, 1 June 2010.

^2. “Kōteieki shūsoku wo sengen, hassei kara 130 nichi me,” [The Governor announced the eradication of FMD, 130 days after the initial detection], Yomiuri Shinbun, 27 August 2010.

^3. “Kōteieki de minami-kyūshū ryokō ‘jishuku wo’ Gotō shi ‘isami ashi’,” [Don't Travel to Southern Kyushu due to the FMD. The City of Goto went “Too far” on the FMD Fear] Kyōdō Tsūshin, 1 May 2010.

^4. The blog entry was posed on 28 May 2013.

^5. “Shōsekkai wo muryō de haifu: JA Goto,” [JA Goto Provides Free Lime Power] Nagasaki Shinbun, 3 June 2010.

^6. Nagasaki Shinbun, June 1, 2010. The City of Goto refunded the entry fees and travel costs to the registered participants in exchange for proof of payment. However, the municipal government could not repay the local hotel industries for loss of expected revenue from the Ironman event.

^7. Since the official termination of the contract with Goto, the WTC posted the following message on Ironman Japan's previous website: “Ironman wishes to advise that any 2011 race on Goto Island is not affiliated with Ironman and will not be a qualifier for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Ironman is working on a new Ironman Japan race for the summer of 2011 and hopes to make an announcement soon.” http://www.ironmanjapan.com/ (accessed June 2011).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Toru Yamada

Toru Yamada was awarded Ph.D. in Anthropology for his work on the legal translation process in Japan from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is currently Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Tsukuba.