Since the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011, ‘Tsunami Tendenko’ has been widely discussed as a guideline for prompt tsunami evacuation in Japan, particularly within family units. Education and awareness-raising activities for realizing ‘Tsunami Tendenko’ have been conducted in various regions. A critical component in achieving ‘Tsunami Tendenko’ in the event of a disaster is trust based on discussion and agreement within families on evacuation behavior and evacuation sites in advance. However, it cannot be taken for granted that trust regarding tsunami evacuation, even between parents and children, can be easily achieved.

This study focused on parent-child 'conversations' as a situation in which such trust is formed. Analysis of parent-child 'conversations' around tsunami evacuation revealed the existence of a complex decision-making process. In conclusion, we found that in such 'conversations' over tsunami evacuation, the more topics addressed regarding when, where, with whom, and how to evacuate, the more likely they are to influence the building of trust. And it became clear that the amount of such topics could be increased ① by parents' awareness of the topics to be discussed and ② by the participation of third parties who are not parents or children in the conversation.

This study aims to clarify the reality of the repetition of disaster damage, focusing on the words apology, misery, and debt, through a questionnaire survey regarding two earthquakes that occurred on June 19, 2022, and May 5, 2023, in the Noto area of Ishikawa Prefecture. The survey was mailed to 2,021 respondents in four districts of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture (Ueto-cho, Shoin-cho, Tako-jima-cho, and Nonoe-cho) between November and December 2023, and received 527 responses. Of these, 327 were considered victims of the repetition of disaster, and their actual damages and feelings were analyzed. As a result, 66.3% of the victims responded that their feelings toward rebuilding their lives haddeclined. When asked if they hadever felt apology ormisery, 19.7% and 19.2%, respectively, had experienced such feelings.Analysis of the free response contents revealed that in the apology category, respondents felt shame in their relationships with others. On the other hand, misery was associated with low self-esteem and self-denial, due to the attempt to find fault with oneself, even when the problem was difficult to solve. Such psychological burdens may lead to a loss of the survivors' motivation to rebuild their lives. These results support previous research discussions on apology, misery, and debt and reveal some of the effects of the repetition of disaster.

Students studying in Japanese universities often face challenges during disasters due to limited Japanese language proficiency and lack of knowledge about natural disasters. This study aims to investigate the efforts and challenges in Japanese universities to improve disaster literacy among international students, considering their differences from Japanese students.

First, a questionnaire survey conducted among Japanese and international students showed that international students had less experience learning about disasters and disaster prevention compared to Japanese students, highlighting the significant role of universities in providing disaster education.

Next, a survey of Japanese universities clarified the state of disaster education and preparedness measures for international students. The findings indicated that many universities believed their disaster preparedness measures for international students were inadequate compared to those for Japanese students. Universities with a higher number of international students tend to have more comprehensive disaster preparedness measures, but few make religious and cultural accommodations.

Furthermore, interviews with universities and a consortium of universities in Hyogo Prefecture showed that the consortium was actively engaged in disaster education for international students. This suggests that collaboration with external organizations can be effective for universities.

Prefectures and municipalities implement a phased disaster response system triggered by various weather warnings, such as heavy rain warnings, and carry out disaster standby operations. To evaluate the adequacy of disaster response systems, it is necessary to understand the frequency of these warnings and the corresponding occurrence of damages. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between heavy rain advisories, heavy rain warnings, and landslide alert information (hereinafter referred to as "heavy rain warnings and related alerts") and the occurrence of damages in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Defining a "heavy rain warnings and related alerts event" as the sequence of advisories, warnings, and cancellations issued in a municipality from the initial issuance of a heavy rain advisory or warning until all alerts are lifted, there were 7,123 such events over seven years. Among these, 5,410 were advisories only,1,237 were warnings only, and 476 included landslide alerts. There were 218 damage reports across all municipalities over seven years, with215 ofthese reports correspondingto heavyrain warnings and related alerts events, and 3 occurring without such events.

When comparing these data by municipality, the damage occurrence rates increased with the level of warning: 1.7% for advisories only, 6.9% for warnings only, and 30.3% for landslide alerts. Conversely, the non-occurrence rates ofdamage decreased to98.3%,92.8%,and69.1%,respectively,andtheoversightratesremained lowat0.1%,0.2%,and0.6%,respectively.Additionally, there were no heavy rain-related damages in the absence of heavy rain warnings and related alerts, and the probability of damage occurring during advisory-only events was found to be extremely low.

In recent years, the number of ambulance dispatches has been increasing year by year, and future estimates suggest that, due to factors such as the aging population, the demand for emergency services is likely to increase even further. In this study, we aimed to efficiently utilize ambulances, one of the limited emergency medical resources available in the region, and to further promote the use of the Emergency Security Center Project (＃7119). Taking into account the characteristics of government public relations, we conducted analysis using a strategic public relations model and considered measures for effective government public relations in the region.

In this study, we conducted a literature survey and interviewed public relations officers, formulated hypotheses based on the results, and conducted a questionnaire survey of residents. As a result, it became clear that many people remain at the awareness stage in the strategic public relations model, and in order to reach final behavioral change, it is necessary to strengthen the effects of the model's interest-attraction phase, exploration-guidance phase, and landing point preparation phase. In addition, improving personal usefulness is said to be effective in attracting interest, and it is important that something is judged to be useful to oneself. We thought that one way to increase such individual usefulness would be to gather personal experiences from users, so we presented these in a questionnaire survey to gain new insight into future public relations measures.

Appropriate evacuation during a disaster is a major factor that determines the survival of individuals and communities, and the accumulation of practical experience is important to enable appropriate evacuation behavior. In particular, participation in disaster drills is important to prepare for potential future disasters, and the same has been pointed out for tsunami disasters. On the other hand, however, not enough research has been conducted on participation in disaster drills. In terms of previous studies, most of them analyzed one-off drills, and there have been few ongoing studies. Even if the drill is ongoing, there has been no statistical analysis of the increase or decrease in the number of participants, such as those that only track the transition of participants. Furthermore, when it comes to research on the number of participants, there is a tendency to focus on quantitative analysis, while qualitative research is neglected. In this study, therefore, we analyzed continuously collected individual name-based data from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Utilizing individual name-based data, which has not been utilized extensively in the past, revealed that participation rates in drill varied depending on residents' attributes, roles within the district, and geographical factors of residence, highlighting detailed issues that could not be revealed by simply repeating drill sessions. In addition, the combination of interviews with community leaders and residents not only provided a new analytical perspective, but also ensured the reliability of the interpretation of the quantitative analysis.

When a large earthquake or volcanic eruption occurs, various media disseminate a large amount of information, including scientific details about the event, damage to residents and areas, evacuation shelter information, and so on. Even during normal times, reports and articles on past disasters and regional disaster risks are spread to prepare disaster prevention actions and to mitigate the impact of future earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This study investigates how such information related to the disaster of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions is conveyed to media audiences by examining eight major earthquakes and four volcanic eruptions that occurred in Japan since 1990. Using the Yomiuri Shimbun database, newspaper articles were extracted using search terms related to the names of earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. We systematically count the number and length of articles over periods ranging from several years to several decades from the occurrence time of events for all large earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The results show that the number and length of articles decreased with a power law, which suggests a fractal property. The number and length of articles almost inversely proportional to the elapsed time since their occurrence. Additionally, it was found that the decline rate in article numbers and lengths over time was smaller for larger earthquakes or volcanic eruptions that caused significant disasters, while the decline rate was larger for less damaging events.

To improve information transmission by loudspeaker broadcasts in a ski resort, we proposed a guideline for selecting intelligible words based on findings in phonetics and psycholinguistics. The proposed guideline recommends selecting high-familiarity words with a small number of voiceless consonants, such as /k/, /s/, /t/, /h/, and /p/, that are easily disturbed by noise. To examine the effectiveness of this guideline, alternative words were selected for the original words according to the guideline, and a word recognition experiment was conducted with 26 native and 24 non-native Japanese listeners in with- and without-noise conditions. The results showed that the alternative words were easier to recognize than the original for native and non-native Japanese listeners, even under the with-noise condition. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that word familiarity and the number of voiceless consonants contribute to word recognition by Japanese native- and non-native-listeners, respectively. Therefore, the proposed guideline is appropriate as a criterion for selecting words that are intelligible for both native and non-native listeners. The words chosen with the guideline would improve information transfer in loudspeaker broadcasts in a ski resort.

In this study, we developed and implemented a workshop (WS) aimed at enhancing the evacuation intentions and collaborative evacuation intentions of community residents in mountainous areas of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province, who are at high risk of torrential disaster. The WS consisted of three sections: an explanation of local torrential disaster risks and methods for interpreting disaster information during heavy rainfall; the creation of a personalized timeline (My Timeline) based on a chronological organization of standard disaster preparedness actions; and the development of a collaborative timeline involving residents and community officials. A comparative analysis of questionnaire data collected before and after the WS revealed three key outcomes: residents' understanding of disaster-related information became more accurate, their intentions to evacuate in response to various disaster scenarios increased, and their awareness of collaborative evacuation improved. These findings demonstrated the effectiveness of the developed WS in influencing residents' evacuation intentions and collaborative evacuation awareness, establishing it as a useful approach for disaster education in mountainous communities.

Preventing furniture tipping over is critical for the earthquake countermeasure. However, tenants are required to restore properties to their original condition when they vacate, which may limit effective furniture anchoring measures. This study aims to clarify the impact of the restoration obligation on renters’ furniture anchoring measures. A questionnaire survey was conducted on qualified Bosai-shi (disaster prevention specialists) who are knowledgeable about the importance and methods of furniture anchoring measures.

The results showed that even for Bosai-shi who understand the importance of preventing furniture tipping and implemented certain countermeasures for their furniture, the restoration obligation hinders tenants from taking effective tall furniture anchoring measures. The survey also revealed that tenants tend to choose anchoring methods that do not damage walls or ceilings to avoid the restoration obligation. At obligations exempted properties such as public housing, there have been instances where the measures were promoted.

Furthermore, the study found that if landlords understood the importance of furniture anchoring measures and their appropriate methods, or if a point of compromise could be reach on methods and locations, they might exempt tenants from the restoration obligation. This suggests that education and incentives for both landlords and renters are crucial to promoting furniture anchoring meas1ures in rental housing.

This study focuses on the post-return status of single-person households in Katsurao Village, Futaba County, Fukushima Prefecture, a municipality affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident that experienced the evacuation of the entire village. After sorting out the actual conditions of life after return, where family separation and household separation have progressed, by evacuation order zone, we grasp the actual conditions of life after return and communication with blood and local ties of single-person households, and examine the actual conditions of livelihood security. To achieve this objective, we conducted a questionnaire survey and a hearing survey by interview method on all returning households, including those with two bases, and received responses from 151 households.

This study revealed the following four points about the actual conditions of life and livelihood security of single-person households: (1) The living conditions and aging rate of single-person households. (2) The decline of the cooperative function of the administrative district. In addition, in terms of mutual aid functions, areas with a long history had the highest proportion of households that have opportunities for mutual aid and social interactions through blood and local ties, while areas with a short history had the highest proportion of households that do not have opportunities for mutual aid and social interactions through blood and local ties. (3) Even though administrative district functions had been weakened and neighborhood relations had weakened, the maintenance of farmland prompted the rebuilding of neighborhood relationships. (4) Many single-person households made progress in rebuilding their lives and mentally recovered, but three isolated single-person households showed cases of possible mental problems. These results indicate the possibility of mental disorders developing even in people who have returned more than 10 years after the disaster, and policies and mechanisms are needed to prevent these problems from developing into serious mental health problems.

This study was conducted in Wajima City at the time of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in 2024. The purpose of this study was to identify organizational response problems in the initial response period by detailing the actual workload of local government employees for one month immediately after the disaster and immediately after the disaster, and quantitatively analyzing the workload by disaster response work type, transition by time period, and workload by work implementation method.The results of this study show that the amount of work per person per day exceeded the line for death by overwork in most workplaces, with some work groups averaging as much as 19.7 hours per day.

The results of the analysis by job type, using the 17 Cabinet Office work categories, showed that the workload for "headquarters management" and "evacuation center management" was relatively high, divided into coordination work such as headquarters management and field response work such as evacuation center management and supplies.

The workload for "normal operations" was also high, revealing the reality that the workload of municipal employees, which they perceived as normal operations, increased from the middle to the latter half of the period.

By type of work, "direct on-site response" and "telephone response to residents" were more common, while "meetings (internal)" and "meetings (with external parties)" were less common, indicating that a large amount of time is spent on telephone response, especially for disaster information. The time series shows that workload distortion varies by task. Although this study was limited to a one-month period, the time period suggests that "rescue and first aid," "evacuation center management," and "supply management," where workload increases in the first 10 days after a disaster, received support earlier than other tasks.

In recent years, heavy rains have been occurring one after another in various regions of Japan due to the effects of climate change such as global warming, and flood damage has been occurring frequently. However, the evacuation behavior of residents remains a problem, and has not been sufficiently improved for many years.

There are various possible reasons why residents do not evacuate under evacuation orders, but one factor is that evacuation behavior is inhibited by the “conflict” between evacuation behavior and the choices they make in their everyday lives. “Conflicts” during floods may contribute to delayed evacuation.

In this study, we thought that it is necessary to create an environment in which local residents can train for evacuation in the event of a flood by simulating the “conflicts” they would experience under various conditions in the event of a flood. We developed “Ametore,” a web application to support evacuation drills in the event of flooding, based on the normal behavior of local residents, with the participation of local residents.

The analysis of the data obtained from the “Ametore” experience session for residents suggests that this tool can be used to experience actual conflicts and that it can be used as a training tool to simulate the actual evacuation situation.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, broadcasters worked to improve their caster comments and announcements, especially to promote the evacuation of residents from the tsunami. These were used in special disaster programs when tsunami warnings were announced. In recent years, surveys and studies have also been conducted on the residents' evaluation of these improvements.

In this study, I conducted an Internet questionnaire survey of residents in Wakayama Prefecture to determine residents' evaluation of the new tsunami evacuation caster comments that appeared after the earthquake and to determine regional trends.

The results of the analysis, which categorized 13 cities and towns into three regions based on the estimated time of tsunami attack, showed that the high/low ratings of the caster's comments tended to be similar. For example, "Please evacuate now," "Please run away now," "Don't hesitate," and "To protect your life" were highly rated by residents in all areas. On the other hand, "tsunami evacuation tower" was rated particularly low.

On the other hand, only four caster comments with statistically significant differences, such as ‘tsunami evacuation towers’, were given between areas where the tsunami is expected to strike within five minutes (e.g. Kushimoto Town) and 46 minutes (Wakayama City).

As a consideration, there is no need to use the comment "tsunami evacuation tower" at least when a tsunami strikes Wakayama City, which does not have a tsunami evacuation tower. Because of the limited time before the tsunami strikes, it is important to carefully select the caster comments to be used and prioritize them in advance for special disaster programs.