Psychological Effects of Disaster Relief Activities on Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Personnel Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

ABSTRACTCooperation between civilian and military forces, including the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF), enabled wide-ranging disaster relief after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Nevertheless, many preventable fatalities occurred, particularly related to an inability to treat chronic disease, indicating the need to plan for the provision of long-term medical aid after natural disasters in stricken areas and evacuation shelters. To assist in this effort, this report (1) provides an overview of the consequences of the medical response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, the largest natural disaster ever to hit Japan, focusing on the role and actions of the JSDF; (2) discusses the lessons learned regarding the provision of medical aid and management by the JSDF after this disaster, looking at the special challenges of meeting the needs of a rapidly aging population in a disaster situation; and (3) provides recommendations for the development of strategies for the long-term medical aid and support after natural disasters, especially with regard to the demographics of the Japanese population.

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Analysis of the Radioactive Material Adhering to Doctor-Helicopter in the Disaster Relief of the Great East Japan Earthquake

RADIOISOTOPES ◽

10.3769/radioisotopes.62.159 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 159-165

Author(s):

Ryosuke DOI

Keyword(s):

Disaster Relief ◽

Great East Japan Earthquake ◽

Radioactive Material

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Sustaining life during the early stages of disaster relief with a frugal information system: learning from the great east Japan earthquake

IEEE Communications Magazine ◽

10.1109/mcom.2014.6710081 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 52 (1) ◽

pp. 176-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Mihoko Sakurai ◽

Richard Watson ◽

Chon Abraham ◽

Jiro Kokuryo

Keyword(s):

Information System ◽

Disaster Relief ◽

Great East Japan Earthquake ◽

Early Stages

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Honduras Disaster Relief Operation of Japan Self-Defense Forces in November 1998

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x00058982 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 17 (S1) ◽

pp. S19-S19

Author(s):

Koichi Shinchi ◽

Eishu Nakamura ◽

Hiroshi Abe ◽

Hiroshi Hosoai ◽

Hisayoshi Amma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disaster Relief ◽

Self Defense

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Haiti: The Development of “Seamless” Assistance from Disaster Relief to UNPKOs

Japan’s Peacekeeping at a Crossroads - Sustainable Development Goals Series ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-88509-0_7 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 123-139

Author(s):

Hiromi Nagata Fujishige ◽

Yuji Uesugi ◽

Tomoaki Honda

Keyword(s):

Disaster Relief ◽

Red Cross ◽

Great Earthquake ◽

Medical Assistance ◽

Civil Unrest ◽

Peacekeeping Operations ◽

Self Defense ◽

Emergency Medical ◽

The Government ◽

Emergency Medical Assistance

AbstractIn this chapter, we will examine Japan’s response to a complex crisis in Haiti, in which a natural disaster and civil unrest were compounded. Persistent insecurity and confusion in Haiti, albeit under the presence of an ongoing United Nations Peacekeeping Operation (UNPKO), further deteriorated after the great earthquake in 2010. This challenge unexpectedly propelled Japan’s move toward closer “integration,” since several layers of civil-military cooperation rapidly developed to cope with the complicated emergency in post-earthquake Haiti. First, the Government of Japan (GoJ) deployed a civilian medical team and the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) emergency medical assistance unit (hereafter, the SDF medical unit) under the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Act. Following the SDF medical unit’s JDR work, the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) carried on with medical assistance. Second, once emergency medical support ended, an SDF contingent was dispatched under the Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) Act. The Japan Engineering Groups’ (JEG’s) engagement in reconstruction served as a useful opportunity for the GoJ to refine the “All Japan” approach, further encouraging Japan’s inclination toward “integration.” Meanwhile, the experience in Haiti shed light on the gap in the legal assumptions between the JDR Act and the PKO Act, since neither of them anticipated the protection of civil JDR teams in insecurity.

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Function of Social Capital Embedded in Religious Communities at Times of Disaster: Cases of Disaster Relief Activity by a Muslim Community and a Soka Gakkai Community in Japan

Journal of Disaster Research ◽

10.20965/jdr.2018.p1323 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 1323-1332

Author(s):

Nobuyuki Asai ◽

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Case Studies ◽

Disaster Relief ◽

Great East Japan Earthquake ◽

Religious Community ◽

Religious Communities ◽

Muslim Community ◽

Kumamoto Earthquake ◽

Soka Gakkai

In studies of disasters, cases of religious communities providing support to victims at times of disaster have been reported. Such support can be understood as a function of social capital within religious communities. This paper considers the case studies of disaster relief activities provided by a Muslim community and a Soka Gakkai Buddhist community in Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016. It also analyzes how each religious community functioned from the viewpoints of three kinds of social capital: “bonding,” “bridging,” and “linking” and identify challenges faced by religious communities at times of disaster.

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The Crisis Management Capability of Japan's Self Defense Forces for UN Peacekeeping, Counter-Terrorism, and Disaster Relief

Japanese Journal of Political Science ◽

10.1017/s1468109913000030 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 201-222 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

KATSUMI ISHIZUKA

Keyword(s):

Crisis Management ◽

Disaster Relief ◽

Public Support ◽

International Crises ◽

Counter Terrorism ◽

Self Defense ◽

Management Capability ◽

Un Peacekeeping ◽

Overseas Operations ◽

Management Capabilities

AbstractThis article examines the crisis management capabilities of Japan's Self Defense Forces (SDF) in the areas of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and disaster relief. The three types of overseas operations were all initiated by Japan as a response to international crises. While SDF crisis management capabilities for UN peacekeeping operations have steadily evolved, room for improvement remains. For example, Japan's commitment to logistic and rapid deployment missions could be strengthened. Regarding the second type of operations, counter-terrorism, Japan's crisis management capabilities were enhanced by the passing of a novel Anti-Terrorism Law in October 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. The law legalized a SDF oil-fuelling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of the US-led war on terror in Afghanistan. Compared to the first two types of missions, SDF crisis management capabilities in disaster relief are the least controversial. This is due to the nature of the SDF as politically neutral and their humanitarian and non-military activities. This article highlights and compares the strengths and weaknesses of Japan's capabilities in the three types of SDF overseas operations. It demonstrates that a number of problem areas remain, including the need for legal amendment as well as the enhancement of public support and political consensus. The Japanese government and the SDF should face up to these challenges so that Japan can become better positioned to react quickly to crisis situations that require the dispatch of the SDF.

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Lessons Learned from the Aeromedical Disaster Relief Activities Following the Great East Japan Earthquake

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x12001835 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 166-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Hisashi Matsumoto ◽

Tomokazu Motomura ◽

Yoshiaki Hara ◽

Yukiko Masuda ◽

Kunihiro Mashiko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Disaster Relief ◽

Command And Control ◽

Helicopter Emergency Medical Service ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Great East Japan Earthquake ◽

Direct Control ◽

Medical Assistance ◽

Publication Type ◽

And Control

AbstractIntroductionSince 2001, a Japanese national project has developed a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) system (“doctor-helicopter”) and a central Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) composed of mobile and trained medical teams for rapid deployment during the response phase of a disaster.ProblemIn Japan, the DMAT Research Group has focused on command and control of doctor-helicopters in future disasters. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of such planning, as well as the problems encountered in deploying the doctor-helicopter fleet with DMAT members following the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.MethodsThis study was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of aeromedical disaster relief activities following the Great East Japan Earthquake and to evaluate the assembly and operations of 15 doctor-helicopter teams dispatched for patient evacuation with medical support.ResultsFifteen DMATs from across Japan were deployed from March 11th through March 13th to work out of two doctor-helicopter base hospitals. The dispatch center at each base hospital directed its own doctor-helicopter fleet under the command of DMAT headquarters to transport seriously injured or ill patients out of hospitals located in the disaster area. Disaster Medical Assistance Teams transported 149 patients using the doctor-helicopters during the first five days after the earthquake. The experiences and problems encountered point to the need for DMATs to maintain direct control over 1) communication between DMAT headquarters and dispatch centers; 2) information management concerning patient transportation; and 3) operation of the doctor-helicopter fleet during relief activities. As there is no rule of prioritization for doctor-helicopters to refuel ahead of other rotorcraft, many doctor-helicopters had to wait in line to refuel.ConclusionThe “doctor-helicopter fleet” concept was vital to Japan's disaster medical assistance and rescue activities. The smooth and immediate dispatch of the doctor-helicopter fleet must occur under the direct control of the DMAT, independent from local government authority. Such a command and control system for dispatching the doctor-helicopter fleet is strongly recommended, and collaboration with local government authorities concerning refueling priority should be addressed.MatsumotoH,MotomuraT,HaraY,MasudaY,MashikoK,YokotaH,KoidoY.Lessons learned from the aeromedical disaster relief activities during the Great East Japan Earthquake.Prehosp Disaster Med.2013;28(2):1-4.

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