The Network of Miyagi Historical Materials, which was launched because of the Northern Miyagi Earthquake in July 2003, has continued to document the location of pertinent historical materials.

Since the Tohoku Earthquake of 2011, the network has been working to rescue relevant historical materials with the support of volunteers inside and outside the affected areas and by collaborating with nation­wide networks. While we have been able to keep the materials and information related to 53 families until now, it is taking a considerable time to complete the work of the network.

Although a large number of historical materials were lost due to the Earthquake and Tsunami, those materials that were in the form of image data were not lost. The relationship we had built with the affected areas prior to these events has played a major role in how we obtain our materials todays. Before the next catastrophe occurs, we must advance our disaster­prevention measures in support of historical materials continuing and expanding our collaboration with other networks.

In the year since October 2011, staff of the Kanagawa Prefectural Archives have been involved in rescuing Rikuzen­-Takata City public records that were damaged by the Tohoku Earthquake. This project,which uses Government subsidies to acquire the staff and necessary tools and materials, was funded to transfer about 1,200 damaged vital records from Rikuzen­Takata City to the Kanagawa Prefectural Archives;they were returned to the city after they had be restored.

Recovery work followed the completion of an assessment of tsunami damage and the resultant preservation needs. Because of this, we set an administration target to restore the records to a“fit­for­use”level. The preponderance of processes to be carried out was as follows:

１．Preserve content information

２．Remove and control factors stopping preservation

３．Ensure the convenience of use and storage Our aim was to complete this restoration project with the cooperation of other organizations within the limitations of resources（staff, materials, time, and so on）．The tasks resulting from this work are also described.

Not only Japan but the entire world was affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear accidents that resulted from the Tohoku Earthquake of March 11, 2011. In particular, the impact of the earthquake and tsunami has caused many to question whether it is best to rely on nuclear power generation or not. In addition to materials on environmental policy issues, and movements, the Archives for Environmental Studies and Education at HOSEI University has developed“the Archives of Nuclear Power Plant and Disaster”．Features of this documentation project are as follows:

1.Our collection focuses on international nuclear policy and the movement occasioned by it as well as on national documents regarding nuclear power generation. These documents include domestic news reports about the Tohoku Earthquake with a special focus on the nuclear accident in Fukushima. The Archives try to use international standards to arrange and manage private archives related to nuclear power issues.

2.We collect digital materials on the Web and archive them. While these materials play a key role in how we share information in the Internet age, the problem of permanency is of concern. Digital materials clearly present a challenge in archival collection and management and have become a new paradigm of archival science. 3.We have built cooperative relations with donors, archival institutions, and researchers while we develop “the Archives of Nuclear Disaster”． 4.Although the purpose of former disaster archives is to take advantage of the materials to overcome a disaster, the Tohoku Earthquake and the subsequent nuclear accident have made us rethink what the archives can contribute to the residents of Japan.

It is necessary to archive the data on the radioactive contamination resulting from the nuclear reactor accident in Fukushima. These data are at risk of being lost or scattered as time passes. As most of the data are recorded in digital form, they should be kept as archives of born digital materials with meta­data. It is important to select the data and prepare the hardware and software for this purpose. For the project to succeed, it is critical that nuclear physicists and archivists collaborate in this work. International alliances are also important.