Abstract
A massive rain disaster in July 2018 caused tremendous damages to various parts of western Japan. Immediately after the disaster, the Ministry of the Environment dispatched on-site support teams for the devastated local governments in Okayama, Hiroshima, and Ehime prefectures. These teams carried out support activities in cooperation with the staff at the main ministry office and each local environmental office. The Chugoku-Shikoku Regional Environment Office established a wide-ranging cooperation system with its Action Plan for Disaster Waste Measures at Mega Disaster Occurrence in Shikoku Block, formulated in March 2018. At the time of this massive rain disaster, support was provided based on this plan. This article provides an outline of the disaster waste management scheme for Ehime Prefecture in the Shikoku region, where damages were particularly severe. It also reviews the activities undertaken by the support teams dispatched by the Ministry of the Environment. In addition, it introduces a possible future outlook and way forward for disaster waste management in the Chugoku-Shikoku block.
