The Issue of Nuclear Energy in K-12 Education: Cases of National Curriculum in Japan and Korea

Japan and Korea have been highly dependent on nuclear energy for their electricity supplies, considering nuclear energy as a significant way to overcome energy shortage. However, the disaster that struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011 has significantly changed public attitudes toward nuclear energy and reignited domestic policy debates on the future of nuclear energy. In this study, focusing on how the societal changes in energy/ environmental policies are reflected in national curricula, the authors from Japan and Korea reviewed the ways of including nuclear issues in K-12 national curricula and recent changes found in Japan and Korea. The appearance of nuclear-related keywords in national curricula as well as the characteristics of coverage was investigated. Based upon the results, characteristics of and implications for nuclear education in Japan and Korea are discussed. To foster citizens who make decisions for their energy future through environmental education or energy education, it is required to consider how the public discourses on nuclear energy are incorporated into the national curricula.