2019 Volume 71 Issue 4 Pages 371-392
The Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 caused a tsunami that resulted in a horrific disaster on the Sanriku coast of northeast Japan. Devastated locals witnessed the decrease in population and community reorganization during the process of reconstruction. By examining the coastal communities of Kesennuma City’s Urashima District, this paper attempts to explain the reorganization of local communities and the response to the decreasing population by applying the concept of resilience. Local communities reorganize themselves by exercising their resilience, the response to which depend on the regional characteristics formed prior to the disaster. One of the four settlements of Urashima that had experienced major tsunami damage in the past was able to minimize casualties as houses had already been relocated to higher ground. Each of the other three settlements implemented collective relocation projects to higher ground based upon traditional community organizations. The relationships formed in the entire district of Urashima beyond the settlements’ boundaries facilitated the exchange of information among residents, and contributed to the promotion of the reconstruction process. The Urashima Promotion Association has also been gaining importance as a center for wider community activities. As many residents moved to other residential areas in Kesennuma City, support associations were set up to sustain ties with outbound migrants and maintain the traditional community relationship. Thus, devastated local communities have been reorganized into a form that will be resistant to future disasters and the decreased population.
