Godzilla mon amour: The origins and legacy of nuclear fear in Japan

Abstract

While investigating the fear of radiation, scholarly concern has often overlooked cinema as a narrative medium of cultural influence and social commentary. In Japan, the 1954 release of Gojira (1954)—wherein the titular reptile Gojira (or “Godzilla”) is awakened via nuclear testing—signaled the emergence of radiation fear par excellence. Within this article, an investigation of nuclear fear and perceptions in general, coupled with a history of Japanese involvement with radiological technologies in particular, forms the basis for analyzing this seminal film. Subsequently, nuclear fear as showcased in Gojira is analyzed, with additional emphasis placed upon the in-film characterization of scientists, as well as the public communication of risk from authorities to society en masse. The chapter will conclude by investigating the extended legacy of Gojira and Japanese nuclear fear, particularly regarding the fear of radiation following the Fukushima nuclear accident of 2011, and discuss the film's impact upon public perceptions and fear of radiation effects.