East Japan Earthquake Disaster Research Articles

일본의 기록관리 제도 개혁에 관한 연구 - 공문서관리위원회의 활동과 국립공문서관의 확충 노력을 중심으로 -

The purpose of this study is to examine the driving forces and main contents of the reform of the records and archives management system in Japan from the 2009 enactment of the Public Records and Archives Management Act. The key essentials of the reform can be explained in two ways. First is through the legal system, a multilayer structure of the law and guidelines to the institutional documents management regulations for an effective application to each administrative institution. The other is the Public Records and Archives Management Commission, a deliberative body that guarantees the rigorous application and enforcement of the rules and regulations. One of the remarkable outcomes from the reform is the compulsory creation of minutes of the countermeasure meetings in government agencies related to the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster, as well as the various significant cabinet meetings through a revision of the Guidelines for Public Administrative Records Management. In addition, the new construction of the National Archives of Japan and its meaning have been examined. It is being pushed ahead, with the active support of the ruling party members, through activities such as research and review meetings for improving the functions and facilities of the National Archives of Japan.

Burnout and Psychiatric Distress in Local Caregivers Two Years After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Nuclear Radiation Disaster.

The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake precipitated a triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation disaster. To quantify the prevalence of burnout and psychiatric distress in local healthcare providers (caregivers) more than 2years after the disaster, this study surveyed caregivers from affected areas through interviews about topics of concerns and two questionnaires: Maslach Burnout Inventory and General Health Questionnaire. Concerns listed by respondents were primarily radiation related: additional stress, concern for children, concern for local food, and sleep difficulties. We found significant number of caregivers to have signs of emotional exhaustion, low personal accomplishment, and psychological distress. Our findings suggest that local caregivers are experiencing substantial mental health burdens, which have unfortunately remained static from the year prior, even 2years after the fact. Therefore, long term psychological support and improvement in caregiver work conditions are essential to maintain sustainable care in rebuilding disaster stricken areas.

Message from Editors-in-Chief

It is our great pleasure to congratulate the Journal of Disaster Research (JDR) on its 10th anniversary. Its first edition, Vol.1 No.1, was published in August 2006 and now it reached Vol.10. The JDR is published in bimonthly, six issues a year and as the name expresses its basic policy is to cover all types of disaster from a broad, comprehensive perspective except for a war. Starting in 2012, the JDR began a special annual edition on the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster in addition to regular issues, now at Part 4. Reflecting its editorial policy, the journal’s themes have ranged widely from earthquake engineering to dual use, making the JDR unique and distinguishing it from other journals. The journal is currently included and indexed in nine bibliographic databases and citation indexes. The traditional Chinese sexagenary cycle consists of 60 years. With two cycles, 120 years represents the maximum span of a human life and a half cycle, 30 years represents a span of a human generation. The JDR is on the way of such spans and we strongly hope that the journal will prove its true worth after its 30 years’ publication. As Editors-in-Chief, we are most grateful to all who have worked with the JDR and helped reach its 10th anniversary. We thank the editorial board members for editing this journal with their high discernment and the guest editors for arranging special issues with their high profession. We would also like to thank the peer reviewers for their accurate evaluations in a short time and the companies who have helped fund special editions on the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster. We look forward to seeing the JDR’s papers, reviews, reports, and news continue to give readers valuable information and insightful ideas while contributing to the development of disaster research. The JDR welcomes many people’s participation.

Congratulatory Message

First, let me express my heartfelt congratulations to the Journalof Disaster Research (JDR) on its tenth anniversary. TheThird UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, heldthis year in Sendai, Japan, is the third of three UN conferencesin the last three decades all held in Japan. This is partlybecause Japan is one country often subject to natural disasterswith man-made disasters following them. It is also becauseJapan has historically attempted to reduce and prevent disasterdamage. Lessons in tsunami disasters mainly learned from the 1933Showa Sanriku Earthquake Tsunami and 1960 Chile EarthquakeTsunami were tested in the 2011 Great East Japan EarthquakeDisaster. Concurrent tsunami damage and man-madeproblems arising in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plantaccident were greatly exceeding anything predicted or imaginedand showed how Japan’s disaster reduction and preparednessefforts failed. In an ordeal on such an unprecedented scale, further lessonsmust be learned so that we may prepare better for impendinglarger disasters. Objectives of disaster research is to learn whatdisasters have to teach us scientifically and to find and proposemeasures that may help reduce disaster damage and help usimplement these measures. I believe that many researchers –particularly younger ones – now diligently and rapidly studyingin preparation for future disasters in view of what past researchmay have lacked. The results of their research should be channeledglobally into disaster reduction in Japan and elsewhere. As an international open-access journal, the JDR provides animportant forum for international research exchange in practicalways. It is my hope that the JDR will, on this occasion ofits tenth anniversary, continue to provide such a platform forwide-ranging leading-edge research, and that it will therebycontribute to building a society supremely resilient against disaster.

Eight Personal Characteristics Associated with the Power to Live with Disasters as Indicated by Survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster.

People perceive, judge, and behave differently in disasters and in a wide range of other difficult situations depending on their personal characteristics. The power to live, as captured by characteristics that are advantageous for survival in such situations, has thus far been modeled in arbitrary ways. Conceptualizing such characteristics in more objective ways may be helpful for systematic preparations for future disasters and life difficulties. Here, we attempted to identify the major factors of the power to live by summarizing the opinions of survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake disaster. We conducted personal interviews with 78 survivors about their survival experiences and elicited their opinions about the power to live as relevant to those experiences. We then incorporated these opinions into a questionnaire that was completed by 1400 survivors. Factor analysis identified eight factors related to the power to live: leadership, problem solving, altruism, stubbornness, etiquette, emotional regulation, self-transcendence, and active well-being. All factors had sufficient internal construct validity, and six of them showed significant associations with one or more measures of survival success in the disaster, including immediate tsunami evacuation, problem solving in refugee situations, recovery during reconstruction, physical health, and mental health. Overall, the personal characteristics described by the eight factors largely overlap with those described in previous arbitrary models. Further research should investigate the domains, phases, and contexts in which each factor contributes to survival, address whether the factors are rooted in nature or in nurture, and explore their psychological or physiological bases.

Renovation Project of the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster Area "Shosuke no yado Takinoyu"(2014 IES Illumination Awards - Award of Merit,<Feature>Japanese Illumination Designs Highly Recognized in Overseas as Well 2013/2014)

Renovation Project of the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster Area "Shosuke no yado Takinoyu"(2014 IES Illumination Awards - Award of Merit,<Feature>Japanese Illumination Designs Highly Recognized in Overseas as Well 2013/2014)

Joint Workshop on Publication of “Report on the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster － Nuclear Engineering Volume”

Joint Workshop on Publication of “Report on the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster － Nuclear Engineering Volume”

Introduction of Disaster Cognitive Psychological Science

Disaster science is an academic field that explores mechanisms of disasters, investigates economic, social, and environmental impact of disasters, and develops systems for disaster prevention, mitigation, and restoration. After the 2011 Great East Japan (Tohoku) earthquake and tsunami disaster, reduction and avoidance of potential losses from disasters have received much attention. The purpose of this article is to introduce a new research field in disaster science called disaster cognitive psychological science. First, we define disasters in disaster science. Second, disaster cognitive psychological science is introduced. The scopes of disaster cognitive psychological science are 1) to clarify human mental processes and behaviors in any situation related to disasters such as evacuation behavior, risk perception, and decision making, and 2) to develop and evaluate new systems for disaster prevention, mitigation, and restoration such as education and training programs for disaster prevention. Finally, disaster cognitive psychological science research has only just begun. We shall continue our research related to disaster cognitive psychological science.

Evacuation after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident Is a Cause of Diabetes: Results from the Fukushima Health Management Survey.

The Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011 forced the evacuation of a large number of residents and created changes in the lifestyle of the evacuees. These changes may have affected the evacuees' glucose metabolism, thereby leading to an increase in the incidence of diabetes. This study included Japanese men and women who were living near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima prefecture before the disaster. Subjects subsequently underwent annual health checkups with a focus on metabolic syndromes, which were conducted under the Health Care Insurers. Using the Comprehensive Health Check survey, we analyzed changes in the glucose metabolism before and after the disaster. A total of 27,486 subjects underwent follow-up examinations after the disaster, with a mean follow-up period of 1.6 years. After the disaster, the prevalence of diabetes increased significantly, and we observed that the incidence of diabetes was significantly greater among evacuees than among nonevacuees. Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that evacuation was significantly associated with the incidence of diabetes. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate that evacuation is associated with the incidence of diabetes. This information may be used to guide follow-up recommendations for evacuees.

Catastrophe of Japanese Psychiatric Brainbank

In Japan, a national law for autopsy and dead body storage has been applied to manage brain banks, though this law would need some amendment for research use of human materials. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear disaster, Fukushima Psychiatric Brainbank lacked an autopsy-qualified researcher among them. Some problems which disturbed development of Japanese brain bank are discussed.

Catastrophe of Japanese Psychiatric Brainbank-in Case of Fukushima

Brain bank is an indispensable research resource for pathophysiological studies of mental illnesses. In Japan, a national law for autopsy and dead body storage has been applied to manage brain bank, though this law is said to need some amendment for research use of human brain materials. In history of Japanese psychiatry, problems of Utsunomiya Hospital, manifested in 1987, caused serious loss of credit on psychiatric research and psychiatric medicine. It was reported that autopsy had been done by no autopsy-qualified individuals for example nurses in Utsunomiya Hospital. Recently, following the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear disaster, Fukushima Psychiatric Brain bank, established in 1997, has continued its activity in spite of lacking an autopsy-qualified researcher among them. This illegality has been concealed for approximately 2 years. Some problems which have disturbed development of psychiatric brain bank and post-mortem brain studies of psychiatric illnesses in Japan were discussed.

Research on the Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) of Young Students from the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster Area: An Investigation into the Reality of PTG and its Relationship to Resilience, Self-Esteem, and Social Support

Research on the Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) of Young Students from the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster Area: An Investigation into the Reality of PTG and its Relationship to Resilience, Self-Esteem, and Social Support

The nutritional status of women of the coastal region of the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster area: Three years after

The nutritional status of women of the coastal region of the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster area: Three years after

The Essential Factors to Continue Working with Vigor and Enthusiasm for Health Care and Welfare Professionals: Thinking through Public Health Nurses' Activities to Be Required at the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster

The Essential Factors to Continue Working with Vigor and Enthusiasm for Health Care and Welfare Professionals: Thinking through Public Health Nurses' Activities to Be Required at the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster

Workplace patrol reported in the disaster waste treatment plants at the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster area

Workplace patrol reported in the disaster waste treatment plants at the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster area

水産関連学会の復興への取組み

水産関連学会の復興への取組み

特集号「東日本大震災の地理学的検証―津波・地盤災害の多様性と地域性―」巻頭言

特集号「東日本大震災の地理学的検証―津波・地盤災害の多様性と地域性―」巻頭言

東日本大震災の液状化被害に見る液状化研究の課題

東日本大震災の液状化被害に見る液状化研究の課題

Lessons learned from Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster

Lessons learned from Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster

被災地の復興への取り組み

被災地の復興への取り組み