Abstract
This case study examines the postcrisis discourse of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and its executives following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant crisis of Spring Citation2011. Using organizational renewal as a framework, we argue TEPCO communicated a desire to rebuild its reputation by being prospective and focusing on the future, emphasizing rebuilding and growth, providing an optimistic message, and communicating information through its leaders. Although TEPCO's postcrisis communication adhered to the tenets of renewal, stakeholders remained skeptical of the organization—likely the result of an inability to foster a strong precrisis relationship with the Japanese public and its government. This study shows how a company can fail to establish renewal among its stakeholders when renewal discourse is not framed successfully.