Hopeful Migrations: An Analysis of Narratives of Migrants from the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

This study aims to explain the mechanisms that shape the migration motives of people who emigrated from Japan in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. The study analysed the narratives of 45 migrants to Australia and other countries drawing on German philosopher Ernst Bloch’s ideas of hope. The results reveal that while demonstrating the motivational aspect of hope, they have imagined the post-disaster world from a long-term perspective and challenged the radioactive contamination and structural problems in Japanese society. This study, therefore, contributes to our understanding of migration in a post-nuclear age.