A holistic and comprehensive perspective on society is essential to disaster research. However, at one time, the world did not have any scholarly journals that dealt with disasters from a holistic point of view. This situation gave rise to the Journal of Disaster Research (JDR), the first issue of which was published in August 2006. In principle, six issues are published annually, with special or extra issues also published in some years.

The Great East Japan Earthquake struck in March 2011, five years after the first issue of the JDR. Following this incident, we decided to publish a special issue whenever there was a major disaster. All accepted papers and articles were to be published free of charge, in electronic format. So far, eight special issues have been published.

Since this year 2021 marks the tenth anniversary of that disaster, we at the JDR have decided to publish a special issue of notes on the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster. The selected theme is “Thoughts About the Great Disaster Now That Ten Years Have Passed.” As an academic journal dealing comprehensively with disasters and disaster risk reduction, we asked people working in all disaster-related fields to submit, from their unique perspectives, their views or proposals in any area or subject regarding what changes have taken place, what has remained the same, or what is needed in the future.

We have the twelve notes presented here in this Special Issue on the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster: Part VI. We hope that these notes provide seeds for further progress in the field of disaster research.

Lastly, the editors would like to thank all contributors who submitted their manuscripts and the reviewers who provided valuable feedback with their constructive comments.

Thailand was among the countries that suffered losses and damage as a result of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster. Ten years have passed since the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. The various lessons learned and research on the 2011 disaster in Japan have reached Thailand. This can be seen in the numerous interactive activities associated to the World Tsunami Awareness Day, as well as several tsunami-related research and development programs applied to the country. This article summarizes those activities and highlights key examples. It also acts as a conduit for related communication between the two countries, Japan and Thailand.

Introduction: Adolescents affected by disasters need mental health support because they tend to be at risk of developing psychiatric disorders and stress as grown-ups. However, it is difficult to develop and validate a support system for adolescents affected by disasters because it is unknown when and where disasters occur, and there is inadequate data related to this in Japan. Methods: To address these issues, we present a mental health support system for high school students affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. We hypothesized that mental health support could be provided by classroom teachers and school nurses, who are familiar with high school students. We investigated the psychological state of the affected high school students for three years after the earthquake, and the students in psychological crises received interventions from their class teachers and school nurses. Results: The intervention resulted in improvements in depression and post-traumatic stress reaction (PTSR). Conclusion: These results suggest that our high school-based intervention is a feasible solution for mental health support for adolescents affected by the disaster.

The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, with its epicenter off the Sanriku coast, measured the moment magnitude of 9.0, had a maximum seismic intensity of 7 in the northern part of Miyagi Prefecture, and impacted an area of 450 km. Consequently, a variety of unprecedented problems were made apparent. In particular, the human and property damage wrecked by the ensuing tsunami triggered our response for earthquake and tsunami resistance. In addition to conventional issues, such as earthquake resistance of buildings, disruption of lifelines, liquefaction of residential land and soil structures, and tsunami damage in coastal areas, there were new challenges, such as prolongation of earthquake disaster waste treatment. During the 10 years since the 2011 earthquake, tsunami countermeasures have been reexamined, and based on the concept of multiple protections, both tangible and intangible countermeasures have been advanced. This article addresses technical problems related to complex disasters, and includes the example of actual damage to a river levee in the Iwate Prefecture and the case of a building overturned by tsunami in Onagawa City, Miyagi Prefecture. It also discusses liquefaction caused by earthquakes and lists the points to be considered when selecting tsunami evacuation buildings to tackle future tsunami disasters.

According to the survey of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, sending and receiving of support, vertical division of organizations, business continuity, local collaboration, management of disaster prevention and mitigation, advance preparation for reconstruction, and number of personnel are listed as the problems of a local disaster management. As for these problems, the achievements are made clear by analyzing concretely the progress for 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake based on the data and examples. As a result it is found out that at the state level the know-how to formulate the subordinate plan of a regional disaster management plan has been summarized and the training system is being arranged to develop the human resources. And at the level of the local governments the rate of the local governments which have worked out a business continuity plan improves and the number of the personnel engaging in disaster management increases significantly. Furthermore, some remarkable advanced examples are observed in the problems of “vertical division of organizations” and “local collaboration.” In the future these measures should be implemented in the individual local governments and elaborated continuously by improving themselves through friendly rivalry.

The misleading information spreads into the society, the people move on the basis of it. This mechanism, what I call “rumor disaster” is examined in this note. Authorities, specialists, intellectuals, and so on, oftentimes, might take part in this process. In this note, the spent fuel storage pool of Tokyo Electric Power Fukushima Daiichi N.P.P. Unit 4 is the case used for discussion because there are relatively abundant materials and the resulting impact to the society is very big.

Abundant studies have researched the economic and social shifts associated with demographic transitions. There have also been many studies on the essentials of disaster preparedness and recovery. However, few studies have investigated these factors in combination. Therefore, this study explored how demographic shifts such as a decreasing and aging population impact disaster recovery and efforts to build a sustainable society. It examined coastal communities in Japan’s Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures that were affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJET) from the perspective of two disaster-recovery theories: (1) Bates and Peacock argued that disaster recovery continues or accelerates a community’s pre-disaster trends [1, 2]; and (2) Hirose argued that disaster-recovery efficacy depends on the disaster scale, outside aid, and community strength [3]. This study’s analyses support the first theory while stating that a community’s pre-disaster demographic and social trends have a more significant effect on disaster recovery success than the disaster scale and outside aid considering the second theory. The study reiterates that disaster recovery begins before a disaster, and demographic variables should affect plans to build a sustainable society. Finally, this note shows how the lessons learned from the 2011 GEJET disaster can provide the insights to improve disaster risk management in societies with declining and aging populations.

The experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) can provide indispensable lessons for countries vulnerable to disasters around the world on how to strengthen their capacities to reduce disaster risks. This note assesses how the lessons from the disaster have been shared with the world by examining programs implemented by the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. These organizations have conducted knowledge management activities, which holistically cover related sectors. The World Bank recognized that lessons from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake had been lost from the international perspective and that ones from the GEJE needed to be collected and secured. A joint project between the World Bank and the Japanese government produced the report “Learning from megadisasters: Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake,” which is widely used as a reference document for the disaster. This project shared lessons with policymakers, decisionmakers, practitioners, academia, and civil society organizations through knowledge exchange programs. The Japan International Cooperation Agency invited government practitioners and experts from developing countries to visit disaster-affected areas in the Tohoku region and learn lessons from the disaster. On the 10th anniversary of the disaster, reports on recovery experiences are being produced, including this special issue. It is expected that Japan will expand its efforts to share recovery lessons with the world.

While governmental agencies have provided wide-ranging support to help the public recover from the impact of the Great East Japan disaster, their efforts have not been all-encompassing. Meanwhile, non-profit organizations and foundations have played a crucial role in this aspect. This study highlights the significant characteristics of a foundation, “The MICHINOKU Future Fund,” which has provided financial support to children who lost their parent(s) in the 2011 disaster. The Fund is a compelling case in disaster giving. It has been receiving donations for ten years, even after the disaster, with a steady increase in contributions from corporations and individuals. Our study explores this extraordinary case and identifies factors leading to successful fundraising as they endeavor to rebuild the society in the aftermath of an untoward disaster. Given that around 70% of the donations that the Fund receives come from private firms, most of whom have donated multiple times, the study aims to understand why businesses continue to donate to the Fund. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 donating companies. From the analyses of transcribed interviews applying the grounded theory approach, we identified sustained donations from multiple aspects of the Fund that the companies found favorable, including the opportunity to provide continued support to children’s future and frequent reporting from dedicated staff members. The companies learned from the experience of disaster giving, and preferred to avoid providing one-shot support. This study contributes to the literature on disaster giving, particularly corporate donations in Japan, on which limited knowledge has been accumulated to date.

Following various tragic accidents, a civil society utopia has emerged to overcome the terrible situations through altruistic behaviors and mutual aid. Rebecca Solnit describes it as “a paradise built in hell.” As a means for civil society to support large-scale disasters, assistance is provided directly or indirectly through financial donations, relief supplies, or sending volunteers to disaster-affected areas. Such disaster relief assistance emerged post the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). Indirect disaster relief takes the form of making contributions to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to support disaster-stricken areas and people. Despite grants provided to NPOs, obtaining comprehensive data on their activities is difficult because of the enormous assistance they receive. Thus, research on civil society’s private disaster relief funding systems for the GEJE works remains limited. Additionally, it is difficult to deduce the number of program officers (POs) in charge of disaster relief activities for the GEJE. These POs belong to various foundations, companies, and NPOs. Apart from NPOs or charitable foundations, private companies have also established disaster relief grant systems for NPOs to aid disaster relief assistance. This study addresses the above concerns by reporting recent survey results to understand the role of private grants and POs in managing fund distribution to the NPOs working for the GEJE disaster relief. The study concludes from the survey that at least 25 private grant systems were launched, and they supplied more than JPY 40.57 billion (USD 391.26 million) from 2011 to 2020 for disaster relief activities by NPOs.

The purpose of this study was to examine how the disaster volunteer activities of young people affect the sense of well-being of those engaged in such activities and to obtain suggestions for connecting the findings to a better future for Tohoku. In the U.S., disaster management is divided into four stages: mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery. A series of studies has found differences between eudaimonic and hedonic well-being. At the disaster volunteer sites, problem-solving was done through improved autonomy and collaboration. In addition, there were many opportunities to rethink the meaning and purpose of human life. This kind of environment is conducive for people to build good relationships with others and gain autonomy and a sense of purpose in life, which are considered factors of eudaimonic well-being, which may lead to a lasting sense of well-being in their lives. We conducted a questionnaire survey and interviewed three young people who went to the area and volunteered after the Great East Japan Earthquake. From the interview survey, there was a particular influence on the change in the interviewee’s well-being due to their disaster volunteer activities. Furthermore, the impact of the unique environment with the disaster victims and other volunteers they met during the activities was significant, causing them to reexamine the fulfillment of their relationships with others and their purpose in life. On the other hand, after ten years, many issues remain to be addressed to clarify what kind of transformation these disaster volunteer activities have brought about in the lives of these individuals. How to ensure the reliability of emotions, values, and sense of well-being, which are invisible to the naked eye, is an issue for the future. Research on human well-being can contribute to addressing these emerging social issues.

This study highlights new facts regarding the rise of local human resources during the policy decision process by reviewing policy entrepreneurs active in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Specifically, the study reviews these stakeholders concerning the definitions and frameworks of prior research as well as the discussed development of policy entrepreneurs. A policy entrepreneur has been defined as “an energetic actor that conducts collaborative efforts within and around the government to promote policy innovation.” This study provides a comparative analysis of how the five strategies, as a requirement for establishing policy entrepreneurs, have been used to implement policy changes. Two cases are selected to confirm the extent to which they have utilized their respective strategies. The results reveal that both individuals have become active at their respective national and local levels by adopting the five strategies, despite there being differences in the extent of adoption. The recognition of the new existence of “policy entrepreneurs” could offer great support and identity to NPOs in disaster-afflicted areas. Promoting policy entrepreneurship could present a powerful message from the disaster-afflicted areas in Tohoku that could be shared with the entire nation of Japan, particularly considering recent times, when innovation has become necessary in Japan’s public domain.

After a large-scale disaster, affected local governments face challenges such as a shortage of skilled staff in disaster response operations. Human resource support from external organizations is essential. This paper summarizes the major achievements of the human support system in Japan for affected local governments from the perspective of both local and national government support in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). However, several issues still need to be considered. In terms of mutual support among local governments, this paper proposes the following three points for future wide-area mega-disasters: First, each local government should enhance its own disaster response capacity. Second, the entire country should use skilled human resources effectively. Third, national and local governments should prepare to receive assistance from overseas. This paper also proposes the following three points for the support of the national government’s onsite organizations. First, the national government should define a detailed plan for dispatching personnel to affected areas. Second, the national government should dispatch support teams directly to each affected prefecture, instead of setting up onsite organizations that cover multiple prefectures. Third, local governments should prepare to receive these onsite organizations.