With the rapid development of global climate change and urban construction, heavy rainfall and waterlogging disasters are taking place frequently in Beijing. As a part of solutions, Beijing has established a disaster information communication system, which can provide information to residents. However, the difficulty of connecting information with residents’ evacuation actions has been found in previous research. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that influence residents' understanding of heavy rainfall warnings through interviews and questionnaires. The result of this study can be used as measures and directions for improvement of the current solutions in Beijing.

This study aims to ascertain the actual status of anniversary events that have been held for more than 100 years with their origins in natural disasters or infectious disease epidemics. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 857 municipalities in the Tohoku, Kanto, and Chubu regions, and responses were obtained from 515 organizations. Based on the results of the survey, a literature review was conducted to confirm the existence of anniversary events. Based on these results, we visited 11 regions and conducted interviews regarding anniversary events. As a result, the eight factors were identified as contributing to the long continuity of anniversary events.

The purpose of this study is to quickly estimate the impact of the direct economic damage caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake on the macro-economy of the Oku-Noto Region as the target area. The “Oku-Noto Regional Econometric Model” was created, and a simulation analysis was conducted using the model. The analysis revealed that the earthquake will accelerate demographic and economic depopulation in the Oku-Noto Region.

This study estimates the possibility of horizontal evacuation after the start of flooding in the case of Typhoon Hagibis flooding in Nagano City, Japan. A combined inundation and multi-agent evacuation simulation analyses was conducted. In areas where the small river inundation was confirmed, the evacuation success rate was 100% if carried out before the large river began to flood. In areas where there is a significant elevation difference between houses and surrounding roads or where road connectivity is poor, the likelihood of horizontal evacuation after inundation was low. However, in these areas, evacuation success rates improved when people evacuated inundated areas via the shortest possible route.

In this study, we investigate the warning times provided by the Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system for Nankai Trough earthquakes. Focus is placed on the effect of the diversity in combinations of characterized earthquake fault models (CEFMs) and hypocenter settings. First, we develop a method to predict and evaluate the warning times for Nankai Trough earthquakes based on seismic observation networks. Based on this, we overlay the distributions of the warning times and population exposure to shaking intensity for the entire set of CEFMs, obtaining joint probability distributions of them. Finally, we examine the effect of the N-net, a newly deployed seismic observation network over the southwest region of Nankai Trough, in the light of extension of warning times.

This study aims to understand the characteristics of visitors' tsunami evacuation route selection behavior, and to identify appropriate urban forms to tsunami evacuation. In this study, a walking experiment was conducted in Yokohama, Kamakura, and Fujisawa Cities, Kanagawa Prefecture, and a qualitative analysis (KJ method) was used based on the participants’ interviews. In the overall structure of visitors' tsunami evacuation route selection behavior, "information-based behavior" is considered to be a particularly distinctive characteristic. Furthermore, the comparative analysis and the analysis by behavioral pattern suggest that the topography, the content of information displays, and environmental awareness may also influence tsunami evacuation route selection.

In past disasters, there have been reports of cases in which prefectures have not fully fulfilled their responsibilities as stipulated in The Basic Act on Disaster Management. In this study, we clarified specific issues that arise in the command and control process from both institutional and operational perspectives by comparing the "command and control process" defined in ISO 22320 with the activities of the Mie Prefecture Disaster Management Headquarters Secretariat in the 2011 Great Flood Disaster on the Kii Peninsula as a case study. The results suggest that “situation assessment and forecasting” is not specified in the Prefectural Area Disaster Management Plan, and that operational issues have arisen as well.

This study compared and analyzed the structure of the Disaster Relief Law and the Basic Law on Disaster Countermeasures, focusing on the respective responsibilities and authorities of prefectures and municipalities. As a result, structural problems of the Disaster Relief Law and the Basic Act on Disaster Control Measures were clarified. Regarding the relationship between prefectures and municipalities, it became clear that both the Disaster Relief Law and the Basic Act on Disaster Control Measures were not fully discussed at the time of their enactment. Based on the above results, the necessity of examining both laws as a pair is discussed

This study examines measures to pass on the memory of historical earthquakes, focusing on efforts by communities of practice, which suffered by the 1945 Mikawa earthquake as a case study. First, we will describe what a community of practice is as a subject of memory transference, then how community organized the community of practice regarding the Mikawa earthquake. As an initiative of the community of practice, we will specifically examine the conservation of the Fukozu Fault, the epicenter of the earthquake left in the region. As a result, the study revealed following factors that produced the favorable effects of the community of practice in the case of Kota-cho . The first is the activities of the commissioned researchers. The second is the existence of the Fukouzu Fault, a prefectural natural monument in the Fukouzu area.

This study points out that supplementary reader books for elementary school students used in the disaster-stricken cities are also effective in educating elementary school students in other cities about disaster prevention. The authors used supplementary readers from Miyagi and Nagasaki prefectures, which were created based on experiences and lessons learned from the disaster, in elementary schools in Nara Prefecture, which was not affected by the disaster. The results suggest the importance of learning from actual disasters and the need for a disaster education curriculum that enables students to think about "how to protect themselves" after learning "how natural disasters occur."

Although fire brigades are highly important at the time of a disaster, the shortage of their numbers is a serious social problem. Therefore, we surveyed residents in the 23 wards to determine their reasons for not joining the fire brigade, and used multivariate analysis to determine the residents' backgrounds related to their responses. Analysis of the 719 responses showed independent associations with being female, previous disaster experience, occupation, and length of residence. Based on the derived background of the residents and the behavioral theory in the field of purchasing, we examined measures that could promote membership in the firefighters' association

In recent years, collaboration among all stakeholders, including government officials, residents, and others, have been emphasized in flood control measures. However, it was not clearly defined who are being positioned as stakeholders. In this study, we investigated the changes in stakeholders and land use in flood control measures, and it became clear that substantial progress began in earnest from 1977. Additionally, throughout the case study in Fukuchiyama City, where the project called ‘water prevention measure integral type project of land utilization’ was implemented, a mechanism was derived by studying the relationships among stakeholders. Subsequently, issues involved in implementation was discussed, revealing that consensus building with residents was one of the main challenges.

Taking a case study of temporary housing in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, this paper clarified the process of local community rebuilding in temporary housing, from self-help activities in shelters, to informal community activities in the early stage of temporary housing, and to formal community activities after the formation of residents’ association, by focusing on the relationships between informal resident groups, formal residents’ association, and temporary housing support staff. The results revealed that community activities were developed through the coexistence of public and private networks in the process of local community rebuilding in temporary housing, and that temporary housing support staff played a role in connecting both networks.

It is important to look back on disaster experiences, describe lessons learned and knowledge gained in response, and apply them to future disaster mitigation. In this research, we proposed a method for looking back on lessons learned and knowledge gained in disaster response with knowledge transfer in mind. The key points of this method are : 1) Disaster ethnography for knowledge and lessons learned in the field, 2) Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) template aiming at rational handing down and describing operations, and 3) Keep Problem Try (KPT), a reflective framework used in agile development. We attempted to look back on the work of issuing disaster victim certificates in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, an area affected by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake disaster, as a case study.

According to the Reconstruction Agency of Japan, while emergency shelters accounted for about 10% of all disaster-related deaths due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, homes and elderly care facilities accounted for a much higher percentage, approximately 40%. This suggests that nursing care recipients are more likely to live at home or in elderly care facilities rather than in emergency shelters. In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of disaster-related deaths in Kesennuma City, Japan, during the Great East Japan Earthquake, focusing on nursing care recipients.

In recent years, natural disasters have increased casualties in elderly welfare facilities, especially among the physically-challenged individuals. Therefore, having an effective evacuation plan for these facilities is crucial. Focusing on multiple special nursing homes, this paper investigated evacuation actions taken during the past experiences with disasters, including initial responses, and their daily evacuation drills. Additionally, by participating in drills involving the evacuation of elderly individuals, the time required for different transportation methods was measured. A comparison of various evacuation methods was conducted based on the average evacuation speed obtained in the drills and their effectiveness was also discussed.

This study focuses on the Joint Business Continuity Enhancement Plans institutionalized in 2019. A questionnaire survey was conducted with representative companies in these joint plans, analyzing characteristics by collaboration type. Results revealed that the Hokuriku region has advanced in plan formulation. Analysis by company type showed that associations tend to have many collaborators and are driven by economic organizations, medium-sized companies often collaborate across prefectures, and small companies frequently use financial incentives and connect with similar businesses. Joint Business Continuity Enhancement Plans include measures such as interchangeability and personnel flexibility, which are critical for business continuity. These plans can offer benefits lacking in individual plans.

Cities facing population decline must transition to a more compact city through residential inducements. However, dealing with large-scale tsunami risk in urban areas is complex. In this study, we examine residents' residential preferences at two points in a local city where most of the urban area is in the tsunami inundation zone to make proposals that contribute to realizing residential guidance. The case study area is Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture. The results indicated that the development of residential areas of a certain size that meet disaster safety requirements and provide a residential environment that is both convenient in terms of transportation and good in terms of the surrounding environment throughout the city center could be a solution to realize residential guidance.

This study defines the monuments established in response to past tsunami damage as “tsunami monuments” and conducts a comprehensive survey in Iwate Prefecture. The results revealed the following: 244 monuments in Iwate Prefecture were defined as “tsunami monuments.” These “tsunami monuments” can be broadly categorized into three types: commemorating victims, recording events, and marking the tsunami arrival points. During the Great East Japan Earthquake, 41% of the monuments escaped tsunami damage. 17% of the monuments were confirmed to have been relocated from their original installation sites, including marker-type monuments indicating past tsunami inundation points. Currently, 26% of the monuments have an observed relationship with residents.

This study, using the situation at the time of the announcement of the "Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information" as an example of an uncertain disaster situation, we examined how to organize the predicted issues and the social situation based on the relationship between them, taking into account their application to graphic drills and the like. As a result, based on the data obtained from the workshop-style discussions, it was found that by organizing the relationship between the predicted issues using quantification theory III and cluster analysis and extracting them as item groups, it is possible to find item groups that should be considered in relation to each other, such as the item groups of "building safety" and "evacuation behavior," and that these item groups can be used in the planning and facilitation of drills. Finally, assumed and actual phenomena were compared, and improvements to the methodology were considered for the Nankai Trough Earthquake disaster prevention.