EFFECT OF RISK COMMUNICATION METHOD ON EARTHQUAKE DISASTER PREVENTION ACTIVITY

The capability of resident-led responses to disasters has declined in recent years due to rapid changes in social and urban structures in Japan. In order to improve regional disaster prevention capabilities with regard to disaster risk, which includes a multitude of uncertainties induced by societal changes, it is necessary to reorganize conventional ways of disaster risk management from top-down to bottom-up principle of complementarity with residents as the base point. A multilayered disaster prevention system, corresponded to the diversity of local self-governing activities by residents in ordinary times, would improve regional capabilities for disaster prevention and also increase the likelihood that these capabilities could be expressed in the response at the time of a disaster. This is what we postulate in this paper as a new mode of 'disaster risk governance'. The effectiveness of this postulation will be verified based on a case study of the disaster response by residents in the Kitajo district of Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture at the time of the Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake, which occurred on July 16, 2007. On that basis, we have developed a new disaster risk communication method in which residents and other stakeholders can ; i) develop an awareness of the current situation of the disaster risk governance structure and related problems, ii) organize a variety of district self-government networks in ordinary times, iii) build a multilayered disaster prevention system that makes use of those networks and other local resources for disaster prevention, and iv) link these efforts to specific disaster prevention activities. To confirm its effectiveness, we have applied this method to the residents-led workshops with voluntary disaster prevention organizations in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

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Characterizing Risk Communication and Awareness for Sustainable Society: The Case of Foreign Residents in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area of Japan

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13115786 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 5786

Author(s):

Bismark Adu-Gyamfi ◽

Rajib Shaw

Keyword(s):

Risk Communication ◽

Metropolitan Area ◽

Disaster Preparedness ◽

Primary Data ◽

Disaster Prevention ◽

Sustainable Society ◽

Vulnerable Group ◽

Tokyo Metropolitan ◽

Tokyo Metropolitan Area ◽

The World

Many disasters occur in Japan, and therefore many initiatives to educate and integrate foreign residents into its society to overcome systematic barriers and enhance disaster preparedness have been implemented. Nevertheless, studies have highlighted foreign residents as a vulnerable group who are at risk of disasters in the country. The country anticipates and prepares for potential mega-disasters in the future; therefore, effective risk communication is vital to creating the required awareness and preparation. Therefore, this study looked at the changing foreigner–Japanese population mix in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area to ascertain its level of diversity and risk communication characteristics. It used secondary and primary data to analyze how heterogeneity among foreigners translates into a different understanding of their awareness. The study reveals that the 23 special wards within the Tokyo Metropolitan area can be compared to other recognized diverse cities in the world, with Shinjuku city, Minato city, Arakawa, and Taito cities being the most heterogeneous cities in Tokyo. Nevertheless, diversity within foreign residents creates diversity in information-gathering preferences, disaster drill participation preferences, and the overall knowledge in disaster prevention. The study suggests the use of these preferences as a tool to promote targeted risk communication mechanisms.

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Transformation and Issues of Community Disaster Prevention Activity before and after Great East Japan Earthquake

Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan ◽

10.11361/journalcpij.51.395 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 395-400

Author(s):

Shinya Tsukada ◽

Tetsuo Morita

Keyword(s):

Great East Japan Earthquake ◽

Disaster Prevention ◽

Prevention Activity ◽

Before And After

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Actual State of Technical Cooperation on Earthquake Disaster Prevention Case Study: Jica Earthquake Disaster Prevention Project in Mexico

Earthquake Hazard and Seismic Risk Reduction - Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research ◽

10.1007/978-94-015-9544-5_4 ◽

2000 ◽

pp. 31-40

Author(s):

H. Kitajima

Keyword(s):

Actual State ◽

Technical Cooperation ◽

Disaster Prevention ◽

Earthquake Disaster ◽

Prevention Project

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Risk Communication as Interacting Arguments: Viewing the L'aquila Earthquake Disaster Through the Message Convergence Framework

Argumentation and Advocacy ◽

10.1080/00028533.2014.11821840 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 73-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Emina Herovic ◽

Timothy L. Sellnow ◽

Kathryn E. Anthony

Keyword(s):

Risk Communication ◽

L’Aquila Earthquake ◽

Earthquake Disaster

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A study on the Status of Earthquake Drills for Special Education Classes in Taiwan Elementary Schools

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-2790 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kuo-Chen Ma ◽

Mei-Hung Wang ◽

Mei-Hsiang Lee ◽

Mo-Hsiung Chuang

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

Elementary Schools ◽

Special Education Teachers ◽

Physical Environment ◽

External Support ◽

Disaster Prevention ◽

Earthquake Disaster ◽

Mentally Disabled ◽

The Status ◽

United Nations System

<p>Under the influences of natural disasters, disabled people are often the majority of sufferers when a serious disaster happens. Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (3WCDRR) calls for agencies of the United Nations system, academia, the private sector, civil society, and people with disabilities to integrate the issue of the physically and mentally disabled into the new global framework for disaster reduction. Taiwan is one of the regions in the world where earthquakes occur very frequently. According to the statistics of the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau, an average of 23,000 earthquakes occurs in Taiwan each year, including about 1,000 sensational earthquakes. Earthquake prevention is therefore the essential task for campus disaster prevention and rescue programs. The school should recognize different evacuation abilities for students in special education classes, and know their special needs in earthquake disaster drills and emergency response ability.</p><p>In this study, four special education classes in elementary schools were selected as examples to understand the current situation in the engagement with earthquake drills by way of interviews and questionnaires. The evacuation abilities of students in special classes are classified into four categories based on the issues of physical environment, manpower arrangement, and both students&#8217; and teachers&#8217; educations in earthquake prevention. On the basis of the results, the conclusions regarding to those three issues can be drawn as follows. For the first issue concerning the physical environment, the teaching space for special education classes should consider the students&#8217; evacuation abilities. Second, both internal and external support manpower should understand the students' evacuation capabilities and give different assistance based on their abilities. Last, the education goals in earthquake disaster prevention for students in different categories should be different. The earthquake drills should be well arranged in the aspects of time, place, equipment, and manpower assistance. It is important to note that special education teachers and assistants should have good knowledge in earthquake disaster prevention, understand the appropriate response to earthquake disaster, and strive to ensure the safety of students and themselves in the evacuation process.</p>

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Development of Urban Disaster Prevention Systems in Japan – from the Mid-1980s

Journal of Disaster Research ◽

10.20965/jdr.2006.p0046 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 46-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Itsuki Nakabayashi ◽

Keyword(s):

Disaster Management ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Local Governments ◽

Large Scale ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Disaster Prevention ◽

Earthquake Disaster ◽

Tokyo Metropolitan ◽

Metropolitan Government

This treatise outlines developments in disaster management focusing on earthquake disaster measures taken by the Japanese and Tokyo Metropolitan Governments since the 1980s. The 1978 Large-Scale Earthquake Measures Special Act on conditions for predicting the Tokai Earthquake significantly changed the direction of earthquake disaster measures in Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government undertook its own earthquake disaster measures based on lessons learned from the 1964 Niigata Earthquake. In the 1980s, it began planning urban development disaster management programs for upgrading areas with high wooden houses concentration - still a big problem in many urban areas of Japan - which are most vulnerable to earthquake disasters. The 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in Kobe brought meaningful insight into both to earthquake disaster measures by the Japanese Government and by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and other local governments nationwide. Long-term predictions concerning possible earthquake occurrence have been conducted throughout Japan and new earthquake disaster measures have been adopted based on this long-term prediction. The Tokyo Government has further completely revised its own earthquake disaster measures. As a review of measures against foreseeable earthquake disasters based on developments in disaster management measures, this treatise provides invaluable insights emphasizing urban earthquake disaster prevention developed in Japan over the last 30 years that readers are sure to find both interesting and informative in their own work.

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Development of J-SHIS and Applications Using API

Journal of Disaster Research ◽

10.20965/jdr.2013.p0869 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 869-877 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hiroki Azuma ◽

◽

Shinichi Kawai ◽

Hiroyuki Fujiwara

Keyword(s):

Seismic Hazard ◽

Disaster Prevention ◽

Earthquake Disaster ◽

Further Development

The J-SHIS seismic hazard information station is an openWeb systemas a public portal for sharing seismic hazard information for all those concerned with earthquake disaster prevention across Japan. Its further development is seen such as newly released J-SHIS Web APIs and J-SHIS applications. An overview and an objective of J-SHIS are shown as the leading platform of seismic hazard information. Furthermore, how J-SHIS services are developed for providing its data, and results of the application’s publications are described.

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