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In parallel with many other countries, the government of Japan has started to tackle coastal adaptations to climate change. In 2020, the national Basic Policy for Coastal Protection was revised to add the statement that coastal management should account for future changes in coastal hydrodynamic conditions due to climate change. Following this policy, the management body of each coast is requested to revise the Basic Plan for Coastal Protection by 2025. This paper first reviews the current legal frameworks and measures of coastal protection and conservation, such as disaster prevention and mitigation against stormy waves, storm surges and tsunamis, beach conservation, and maintenance of coastal protection facilities. Second, the paper outlines the recent actions taken for coastal adaptation to climate change. With example cases in Osaka and Tokyo bays, it is described how design conditions such as design waves and water levels should account for the influence of climate change. It is also described how adaptive beach management should be implemented accounting for projections of future beach changes. Finally, the paper discusses future challenges in coastal adaptation strategies to climate change in Japan, such as introduction of integrated coastal zone management and other potential options that have not been implemented in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviews the progress of disaster mitigation measures against tropical cyclones (TCs) in three Asian countries with different historical, social, and economic backgrounds: Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Japan. In Bangladesh, an average of 6,600 people was killed by a single TC in the 1960s, but this number had decreased to 30 in the 2010s; this reduction was due to a clear improvement in soft measures, such as weather forecasting, warning systems, and mass evacuation coordinated by volunteers. In Vietnam, several strong TCs have recently made landfall, leading to improvements in national disaster management. Although Vietnam's current disaster management budget is smaller than those of the two other countries, large-scale evacuation by local authorities is believed to have minimized casualties. In Japan, shortly after Typhoon Vera in 1959, a comprehensive law on disaster prevention was enacted, and coastal dikes were constructed nationwide, resulting in a considerable reduction in fatalities due to TCs. However, the disaster prevention facilities built in this period are now deteriorating, while Japan's budget for disaster management is projected to be decreasing. The three countries have advanced their disaster preparedness in response to past TCs and storm surges, but new challenges have also arisen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster preparedness is the most important measure that can be taken to reduce damage. However, disaster preparedness is predicted to be difficult for older adults with cognitive impairment. Thus, we investigated the effects on disaster preparedness of cognitive impairment in persons requiring special care who are 75 or older. The survey included subject characteristics such as demographic indicators, physical function, cognitive function impairments, community involvement, and disaster preparedness. Cross-sectional data from 711 subjects were divided into two groups, a cognitive impairment group and an unimpaired group. Next, to show the effects of subject characteristics in each group on disaster preparedness, a binomial logistic regression analysis was performed. Then, the effects on disaster preparedness were compared between the two groups. This study showed that persons requiring special care who are 75 or older, and have the characteristics of "living alone," "requiring care," and "needing mobility assistance" in addition to cognitive impairment, have increased difficulty making disaster preparedness. Government officials and community supporters therefore need to recognize that these people should be supported on a priority basis, and to provide continuing support for disaster preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, dynamical pseudo-global-warming downscaling (d-PGWD) was performed with a high-resolution typhoon model for 49 typhoons that made landfall in Japan between 2000 and 2017. It was revealed that the averaged typhoon intensity under future climatic conditions tends to increase at both the peak and landfall times as a result of global warming (averaged central pressures of −45.7 and −5.5 hPa at peak and landfall, respectively). Furthermore, detailed analyses of the time of landfall revealed significant differences in the degree of future changes in typhoon intensity based on both the elapsed time from the genesis to landfall (Tl) and the radius of maximum wind speed (Rml) at the time of landfall. Considering the relationships of Tl and Rml between present and future climates, statistical formulas for future changes in the central pressure and Rml were derived as an empirical PGWD (e-PGWD) method. The validity of this method was confirmed via comparison with d-PGWD results. It is expected that disaster prevention and mitigation measures for future typhoons and coastal disasters in individual regions and ports can be developed by revising storm surge hazard maps using the proposed e-PGWD approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tarō is one of many small fishing communities on the northeastern coast of Iwate Prefecture which was decimated by Japan's catastrophic tsunami on 11 March 2011. Historically, in most parts of the world, including Japan, post-disaster sightseeing has often been portrayed as a form of Dark Tourism emphasizing death, loss and devastation. However, in Tarō, community-led tourism post-2011 has become the catalyst for a positive, fortifying, identity-building economic development strategy infused by hope for the future referred to locally as Bōsai (Disaster Prevention) Tourism. Using an ethnographic approach, this paper argues that, unlike many post-disaster tourism sites, Bōsai Tourism in Tarō builds around place-based practices and traditional community knowledge to provide a positive, satisfying touristic experience for visitors, and gives local residents unprecedented yet tangible social, economic, and political goals to strive for as they embrace the future, designed to transform local tragedy into a local triumph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on marking the tenth anniversary of the disasters. Topics include describing the panel as an inquiry into the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant disaster of 11 March 2011; and describing a future which the application of scientific and technocratic expertise supporting careful study of past seismic events.

This paper is concerned with the changing informal views of Japan held in Britain in the decade after 1931. It investigates the relationship between understanding and policy, and how the needs of policy, most significantly the subordination of Asia to Europe, impinged on understanding. In looking in microcosm at where Japan Watchers, made up of newspapermen, missionaries and businessmen, interacted with formal diplomats and government officials, this paper focuses on the lectures and journals of learned societies in London, especially the Royal Central Asian Society, which served as one conduit through which knowledge of Japan passed to an audience with a regional interest. A wider audience was reached through newspapers. In trying to influence the reading public, the importance of ideas having to resonate with the concerns of the reader is stressed. It is emphasized that influence on perception is often dependent on a particular time. The views of Old China Hands came to supplant those of Japan Watchers in influencing the British image of Japan by the late 1930s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, to prevent accidents and disaster are desired by implementing maintenance and management of facilities, such as conducting periodic inspections with appropriate frequency at plants. However, because the dangerous materials such as flammable gas and explosives is used in a plant, and there are many dangerous places in a plant such as high-temperature environment and high places and narrow spaces, it is desirable to use a remote-controlled robot for safety work and short inspections. Against this background, the Disaster Robotics Category-Plant Disaster Prevention Challenge was held in Japan at the World Robot Summit 2018. Our team was ranked 3rd in this competition, because our strategy of 'inspection and investigation in cooperation with UGV and UAV' was effective. In this paper, the competition contents of World Robot Summit 2018 and the robot inspection system that we are studying are explained. And what kind of strategy was challenged and result for these given competition tasks by using our robot system are introduced. And the lessons learned such as advantages and issues in UGV and UAV collaboration work at this competition are described for evaluate a robot investigation system for disaster response and inspection work at plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper contributes to the conceptual and empirical development of 'preparedness pedagogy'. Preparedness involves learning, thus disaster risk reduction (DRR) should be discussed more in the field of education, particularly its sub-discipline of public pedagogy. Disaster risk reduction education should have an element of a pedagogy in the interest of publicness, which is an experimental pedagogy in which citizens act in togetherness to develop their own preparedness. The paper pays attention to the two phrases utilised in the recent DRR discourse – 'integrated' DRR and 'participation by all' – and examines the case of Japan, applying whole-system thinking. It is suggested that 'the mesosystem' of the DRR system yields relationships and learning, and thus enables collaboration, change and 'participation by all'. Preparedness pedagogy has a role to play in this. The mesosystem functions as the confluence between state-led and community-based DRR to truly integrate the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Months after the accident unfolded at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the nuclear crisis continues. Though the worst, it seems, has passed, many technical, social, legal, and economic hurdles must be overcome. Major short-term challenges include stabilizing the reactors and managing more than 100,000 tons of contaminated water, as well as cleaning up the site, which still contains a large amount of contaminated debris from the accident. Long-term challenges include dealing with spent fuel in the storage pools and damaged fuel in the reactors, as well as decommissioning the reactors. In a 670-page report to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Japanese government explored its next steps in managing the crisis. In this article, the author revisits the tragedy at the nuclear station and highlights a few of the most pressing—and most challenging—of the government’s plans. The author writes that Fukushima should contain lessons not just for Japan but for all 31 countries with nuclear power. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article describes the assistance policies of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in line with the international trend in disaster risk reduction. Through domestic experience, Japan has learnt that disaster risk reduction through structural measures and scientific and evidence-based assessment is indispensable for resilience, poverty reduction and sustainable development. Risk literacy, redundancy and continuous adaptation to situational changes are also important. In case studies of internationally known floods in Manila (2009) and Bangkok (2011), JICA gained confidence that its assistance policies are valid. The knowledge and experience of Japan and JICA have led the evolving global trend in disaster risk reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses aspects of disaster capitalism in Japan following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident in 2011. It relates two short stories to illustrate the most deceitful aspect of disaster capitalism in the country, which is the manipulation of what is, and is not, considered safe.

A diverse society requires culturally and linguistically appropriate support for all populations, especially in emergencies, which warrants contribution from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD)-specific organisations. JB Line, Inc., a local nonprofit organisation serving Japanese, provided online information and in-person support to those affected by the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013. Descriptive statistics of access to its social media combined with qualitative content analysis of its posts suggested CALD communities’ need for reliable and timely information in their native language, specifically regarding safety and mental health. Practical lessons for CALD-specific organisations included a need for cooperating with authoritative organisations, improving their visibility for wider distribution, and proactively reaching out to isolated populations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2015, the Hyogo Framework for Action on disaster risk reduction (DRR) expired, necessitating the introduction of a new international agreement. This article investigates the activities and achievements of the Japan civil society organization coalition for the 2015 UN World Conference on DRR (JCC2015) from the point of view of its involvement in the shaping of the new Sendai Framework for DRR. Although JCC2015 contributed to agenda setting and policy development processes and managed to secure recognition for its position on nuclear risk at a regional level, its participation did not translate into impact on the Sendai Framework to the extent it wished to achieve. The article’s findings testify to the on-going and active inclusion of non-governmental stakeholders in the UN-led global policy-making processes concerning reducing disaster risk, but they also illustrate difficulties that actors who aim to introduce new elements into the agenda need to tackle. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses the emergent interest in risk communication as a strategy for disaster risk reduction. Communication plays an essential role in understanding risk, but studies suggest that people often do not respond in the way that risk experts anticipate. For risk communication to be effective, vulnerable communities need to understand risk within the local context as well as in terms of sustainability. Risk messages offer communities a way to enhance their collective knowledge of existing vulnerabilities, leading them towards alternative solutions for action. A longitudinal study of the Mano community development approach and its recovery from the 1995 Kobe earthquake illustrates how risk communication dynamics contributed to the community’s sustainable risk reduction. The study concludes that risk communication is a collaborative way for a community to work with risk experts, own their risk information, influence existing policies and practices, develop solutions to reduce vulnerability, and ultimately enhance a community’s capacity for managing future risk. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigated factors affecting disaster preparedness and evacuation intentions among home-care patients dependent on electrical power for life support. Health professionals interviewed 53 home-care patients using the Kanazawa and Kochi Disaster Preparedness Checklist. About half of the participants requiring continuous artificial ventilation or aspiration indicated that they would not or could not evacuate following a disaster—even though their lives could be at risk. The availability of emergency medical equipment for use during a power outage was positively associated with the desire to evacuate. Our results indicate the need for improved systems to assist power-dependent home-care patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We clarified the preparedness necessary to protect the health of community-dwelling vulnerable elderly people following natural disasters. We collected data from 304 community general support centres throughout Japan. We found the following in particular to be challenging: availability of disaster-preparedness manuals; disaster countermeasures and management systems; creation of lists of people requiring assistance following a disaster; evacuation support systems; development of plans for health management following disasters; provision of disaster-preparedness guidance and training; disaster-preparedness systems in the community; disaster information management; the preparedness of older people themselves in requiring support; and support from other community residents. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The triple disaster of March 11, 2011 posed a formidable challenge for Japanese society in general, and for affected coastal communities in particular. In the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe, there was widespread support for the construction of high seawalls to protect communities. However, many communities began questioning this approach. In Maehama, the question of land reconstruction and protection gave rise to a set of complex responses. The government aimed to put in place even higher seawalls; however, the local community proposed instead to mark the boundary of high water with trees and stakes. These solutions instantiate different ways of infrastructuring the post-tsunami environment for safety; they carry different assumptions about infrastructure itself. Whereas the seawall solution was technical and quantitative, centering on the question of height, the boundary markers embedded qualitatively different assumptions about what makes a workable infrastructure. In particular, this difference centered on issue of visibility. On the one hand, the seawall was meant to slowly become unremarkable, whereas the boundary markers were specifically intended to maintain community memory. On the other hand, the seawall would make the sea itself invisible, whereas keeping the sea in sight is very important to villagers. However, the opposition between these forms of infrastructuring the environment was not total. A solution was gradually negotiated in which the sea wall and the boundary markers could complement each another. This situation highlights the intricate, transformable relation between visible and invisible forms of infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world had a sense of deja vu when a massive earthquake and a 15 m tsunami struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station on 11 March 2011. As the world followed how the Fukushima nuclear crisis unfolded, nuclear engineers in Japan were trying their best to overcome the situation. Believing that their technical knowledge was adequate to understand what went wrong and to mitigate the crisis, Japanese nuclear engineers sought to assure the public that the condition of the crippled nuclear power plants in Fukushima was not as severe as what it appeared. In reality, as discussed in this article, the subsequent problems emerging in the Fukushima nuclear crisis went beyond the expectations of the engineers. Focusing on the emergency period of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, this article critically examines epistemological bias that prompted how Japanese top-level nuclear engineers made inaccurate assessments resulting in the prolonged crisis. The article specifically probes the concept of robust engineering and the way it is used to overstate the ability of nuclear power system to withstand external shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prime Minister Abe Shinzō's nuclear renaissance involves downplaying risks, restarting reactors, building new ones, and exporting reactor technology and equipment. Polls in Japan indicate that the public remains overwhelmingly opposed to Abe's nuclear agenda, but in various national and local elections since late 2012 antinuclear candidates have not fared well. This article examines the disjuncture between public preferences and electoral outcomes and why is it likely that Japan will restart reactors despite widespread concerns about safety, the high costs of nuclear energy, and the lack of a site for permanent disposal of nuclear waste. The safety myth is being recalibrated, but the author argues that it remains based on rosy assumptions in a nation especially prone to massive seismic disasters. The reinstatement of nuclear energy in the 2014 national energy policy marks a victory for the nuclear village, a remarkable example of institutional resilience in the face of extremely adverse developments since the massive earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011 that precipitated three reactor meltdowns in Fukushima. Despite extensive revelations about shoddy safety practices in the nuclear industry and collusive relations between regulators and those they regulate, Abe has successfully promoted a nuclear revival that few would have thought possible before his election in 2012. Reactor restarts face a number of hurdles, but the pronuclear lobby now finds it has a policy opening. The summer of 2014 has been a nuclear-free one, but in all likelihood it will be Japan's last for decades to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the emergency response of the Onagawa nuclear power station (NPS) on March 11, 2011, and the primary factors that allowed the Onagawa NPS to reach a state of cold shutdown, even though it suffered the highest ground acceleration and tsunami, comparable to those at the Fukushima Daiichi NPS. There was no release of radioactive material to the environment despite damage to several pieces of equipment, such as the toppling of a heavy oil tank, short-circuiting of non-safety-related high-voltage metal-clad switchgear, and internal flooding of the reactor auxiliary building. While we conducted the plant control, people who lived in the neighborhood of the NPS, whose residences had been damaged by the tsunami, came to the plant seeking shelter and help with evacuation. We accommodated them in the on-site gymnasium and provided necessities such as food and blankets. Within several days, the number of evacuees increased and surpassed 360, and we lived with them for nearly 3 months. The key points for safe cold shutdown were first, the plant site grade was higher than the maximum tsunami height and, second, an emergency diesel generator for each unit and one of the off-site electrical power lines remained available. In addition to these factors, preparedness (such as seismic reinforcements for all units, updating of tsunami predictions where appropriate, and regular fire drills and simulator training for loss of off-site-power) contributed greatly. However, we must still achieve higher standards of safety. First, we must conduct a detailed evaluation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and take necessary actions based on this evaluation. Second, we have to take proper countermeasures against severe accidents. We have learned many lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi accident, and we will continue to make efforts in order to avoid a similar severe accident again. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake killed 185 people in Christchurch, New Zealand. On 11 March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck eastern Japan, and was followed by a devastating tsunami and a nuclear plant crisis. As of 16 November 2011, the official death toll in Japan had reached 15,839, with a further 3467 people still missing. This article presents two case studies of the experiences and the responses of schools in New Zealand and Japan in the immediate aftermath of these events. Although the magnitude of the events is significantly different, the authors argue that there are many similarities in their responses. These provide an opportunity to consider the manner in which schools in other settings might prepare for such events. This comparative case study includes practical recommendations for schools to consider in their pastoral care of students in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Research in New Zealand and Japan, undertaken separately by the authors, attempted to capture the voices of principals, teachers and students to inform a series of recommendations and guidelines created from the real-life experiences of the research participants. They were collected with the primary focus of wishing to better inform the decision-making responsibilities of others who may be in a similar situation, or to guide future disaster prevention and management policies in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article indicates that capability building in the local community and accumulation of collaborative practice experiences gained at the local community level prove effective in actual disaster response and recovery. A case study of the Japanese community is introduced to illustrate this point. The article concludes with a discussion of the role and function of social workers in the context of such a community. In terms of disaster response and recovery, one of the essential roles of social workers is to encourage local people to empower other local people, organizations, and community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the gender issues that have emerged after the earthquake and tsunami that hit East Japan in March 2011, and how the government and society responded to these issues. The gender issues that emerged were not new; rather, they repeated what had already happened following earlier emergencies in Japan, indicating a failure on the part of the government to integrate a gender perspective into emergency planning and response, and ongoing gender inequality in Japanese society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During periods before and after the beginning of the new century, Japan has experienced many natural disasters, including the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Lessons have been learned from past disasters to reduce future disasters. Based on these lessons, a common framework needs to be devised for comparative study of disaster cases to extract common wisdom to help reduce future disasters. This article reviews changes that have been made in disaster policy and education in Japan since the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and also global changes in disaster reduction through activities of the United Nations, based on white papers published by the Japanese central government, 1995–2010. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

On March 11, 2011, at 14:46 local time, a powerful earthquake occurred off the Sanriku coast of northeastern Japan. It was immediately apparent that this was the strongest earthquake on the historical record, and the resulting series of tsunami ravaged the Tohoku region. In Iwate Prefecture, the tsunami height generally exceeded the design tsunami level for safety, which had been determined on the basis of the 1896 Meiji-Sanriku tsunami, the 1933 Showa-Sanriku tsunami, and the 1960 Chile tsunami. As of January 10, the number of dead and missing in Iwate rose to 6,035. Over 24,000 buildings had been destroyed. After the 1933 Showa-Sanriku, disaster prevention facilities were built along the coast. However, many tsunami seawalls and water gates suffered enormous damage from the impact of the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami. This paper sketches out the characteristics and scope of the damage in the coastal areas of Iwate Prefecture, with a particular focus on the northern coast of Iwate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accident at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in Japan on 11 March 2011 has led to widespread public exposure to high levels of radiation. At present, the government allows people to live in an area where the level of radiation is lower than 20 mSv/year. But, unless the level of radiation is reduced markedly to lower than 1 mSv/year, people should not be allowed to return to the area. Nevertheless, Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters removed the designation of ‘zones in preparation for emergency evacuation’ on 30 September with this fundamental problem yet to be solved. The paper examines the legal context for this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Provides information on the Rescue Robot Contest, a robot competition which was proposed as an effective way of understanding the importance of rescue activities caused by an earthquake that occurred in the Kansai area of Japan. Theme of the contest; Categories of important technologies included in the contest; Process of determining the final score; Prizes.

The article discusses the land management technique known as land readjustment (LR) in the reconstruction of urban areas following disasters. According to the article, LR was a significant aspect of urban redevelopment in Tokyo, Japan, and Yokohama, Japan, after the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, the redevelopment of Kobe, Japan, after the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, and following earthquakes in Chile and India.

During the emergency work at the Fukushima Daiichi Atomic Power Plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Japanese government experienced various problems in radiological exposure management for emergency workers. Radiological exposures resulted from the inappropriate use of respiratory protection, the improper use of protective garments, and insufficient worker training. Among the efforts to reduce external exposure, there were problems associated with the control of working hours, the effective use of a radiation shielding, and the lack of well-prepared work plans. To reduce the exposure dose, the following lessons should be shared with other atomic power plants (APPs) and various stakeholders: (a) to prevent internal exposure, it is necessary to monitor the radioactive concentration of the workplace indoor air during an emergency, to stockpile and use appropriate respiratory protection and train newcomers how to use, fit, and fit-test the respirators; (b) to prevent unnecessary beta-ray exposure, liquid-proof garments should be mandatory when workers handle contaminated water; (c) to reduce external exposure, it is indispensable to develop well-prepared work plans prior to the work and to monitor the ambient dose rate of the work area to develop proper working procedures; (d) the earlier deployment of remote-controlled vehicles and the utilization of tungsten shielding vests can contribute to exposure reduction. Further research and development of remote-controlled devices to monitor and survey affected areas are urgently required. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]