Impact of Modernization on Disaster-prone Regions as Factor of Increasing Vulnerability: Case of Ishinomaki and Kesennuma, Miyagi, Japan

抄録

Natural disasters have caused many impacts on the modern society mainly in disaster-prone regions. Although modernization has improved disaster prevention measures based on science and technology, it has also changed the human lifestyle from the traditional to the modern way, which may increase the disaster risks. This paper studies the relationship between modernization and its adverse effect on a disaster-prone region from the sociological and geo-historical approach to analyze the root cause of disaster. It takes up the case of rural area, Ishinomaki and Kesennuma cities, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan - where are historically vulnerable to geophysical disasters such as earthquake and tsunami. Both cities were significantly damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 despite the modernized society. The study is based on the qualitative method which mainly constitutes of literature analysis. The main conclusion is that the Japanese modernization started since 1868 entailed increased risks for the society. Modernization has certainly produced effective disaster prevention measures based on advanced science and technology and centralized measures led by the government and economy-oriented development. However, the modernization which brought from the West where natural disasters are not as critical as Japan was not always prioritized over the political and economic competition. Hence, it caused the disaster-prone area more vulnerable when a disaster topples the capacity of such modern system by increasing the exposure to hazards under diplomatic and security issues and economy-oriented development.