Quarterly Journal of Geography
Online ISSN : 1884-1252
Print ISSN : 0916-7889
ISSN-L : 0916-7889
Volume 66, Issue 3
Displaying 1-4 of 4 articles from this issue
Original Article
  • Masatoshi ENDO
    Article type: Original Article
    2015 Volume 66 Issue 3 Pages 155-175
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: August 01, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The Usu Volcano erupted and the destructive pyroclastic flow and surge struck the Abuta settlement in Hokkaido, northern Japan on March 23, 1822. Currently the degree of burns suffered by the victims from the pyroclastic flow and its connection to the distance between disaster-stricken sites and the crator have not been determined.
    The purpose of this study is to estimate the degree of burns of the Wajin (ancient Japanese people) and Ainu people suffered from the eruption of Usu Volcano in 1822. To estimate the degree of burns, historical records based on the direct observations of the burnt bodies were used, with the aid of the minute reports on the casualties by Unzen-Fugen-Dake Volcano eruption in Kyushu, south-western Japan in 1991.
    Six Wajin and 72 Ainu perished due to the pyroclastic flow and surge from Usu Volcano. The six Wajin died within 48 hours and the 72 Ainu people were regarded to have died within 24 hours after their being burned.
    In the case of the six perished Wajin, and 44 perished Ainu people, at least 80% of their body’s total surface area were regarded to have been covered by serious burns (deep burns and/or dermal burns). Their Prognostic Burn Index (P.B.I.) were regarded to be at least 100 respectively. Even today, in spite of the modern medical treatment available, the surviaval rate of people suffering from such burns is under 30%.
    On the other hand, in the case of the 28 perished Ainu people whose bodies were not found, at least 80% of their body’s total surface area were covered by the most serious burns (deep burns). Their P.B.I. were regarded to be at least 120 respectively. The degree of burns of these 28 perished people almost corresponds to the P.B.I. level where the survival rate is “very low”, even with the modern medical treatment offered by hospital burn wards.
    Many of these six perished Wajin and 72 perished Ainu people had severe facial burns. So they were regarded to have suffered serious inhalation injuries. The degree of burns suffered by victims who were closer to the Usu Volcano crator was more severe than those victims who were farther from the crator. And the degree of burns suffered by the Ainu living in more flammable thatched houses was more severe than the Wajin in less flammable wooden houses on the coast.
    Two people, one Wajin and one Ainu, were forced to enter into the sea by the pyroclastic flow and surge and survived. They received burns on the tops of their heads, necks, and upper parts of their backs and shoulders. In the case of these two people, 5~15% of their total body surface area was regarded to have been covered by burns (epidermal burns and/or superficial dermal burns) without any inhalation injuries. The degree of burns of these two people corresponds to the lowest level of burn that patients can be treated for without entering a hospital.
    The degree of burns suffered by the victims had the tendency of “distance decay”, in which the extent of the burns was less severe the further the victims were from the crator.
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Research Note
  • Hitoshi ARAKI
    Article type: Research Note
    2015 Volume 66 Issue 3 Pages 176-192
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: August 01, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Since the late 1990s, there has been much focus on the development of horticultural trade between African and European countries and the impact on exporters. This could be likened to a kind of food chain linking developed and developing nations. This article explores India’s horticultural exports to examine whether the bilateral relations between African and European countries is similar to that between the Indian Ocean Rim and European countries. Changes in the country-wise and commodity-wise horticultural exports during the 2000s were examined using statistics of the Indian Horticulture Database provided by the National Horticulture Board, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.
    Important findings include an increase in fresh fruit and vegetable exports, especially fresh onions, and an expansion of the share of exports to the South Asian countries, especially Bangladesh. At the end of the 1990s, processed fruit and vegetables, especially dried and preserved vegetables, were the major export commodities, with the major destinations being European and Middle Eastern countries. However, the share in export value of these two commodities relative to that of the major commodities in major countries shrank from 60% in 2002 to 40% in 2010. Conversely, the South Asian countries came to the forefront with shares in these commodities more than doubling. In 2010 the share in export value of the South Asian countries had come closest to paralleling that of the European countries and the share in export volume exceeded that of the European countries, reaching almost five times in quantity. From the viewpoint of export items, the amount of dried and preserved vegetables—the leading item until 2000—had declined during this decade, although the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables almost quadrupled during this period. The major destinations of these fresh commodities were the South Asian countries. Although their prices were cheaper than those of floriculture, walnuts, and processed commodities, their export volume became a considerable amount of the horticultural trade of India.
    These exports of fresh commodities to Asian countries were substantially different from the above-mentioned recent horticultural trade between African and European countries. One point of difference was between the exports to developing and developed nations. The recent expansion of India’s exports to developing nations and South Asian countries is characterized by low prices but a large volume of fresh commodities. Previous studies on exports to European countries characterized these by higher prices but relatively low quantity. This pattern was also remarkable from the context of economic development of the Indian Ocean Rim. As shown in a case study of the Indian domestic food chain (Araki 2013), the expansion of fresh vegetables in urban markets had a large impact on remote rural villages shipping commodities to market, also resulting in a spillover effect on lower economic strata of the village, such as agricultural labor. Evaluation of the impact of exports to developing and developed nations from India, itself a developing nation in South Asia, is significant from the perspective of rural and agricultural development in this region.
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Short Report
  • Takushi KOYAMA
    Article type: Short Report
    2015 Volume 66 Issue 3 Pages 193-201
    Published: 2015
    Released on J-STAGE: August 01, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This study reports on the liquefaction damages caused by the earthquake that occurred near Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture, on April 13, 2013;it also investigates the damage factors in Awaji City on the basis of an intensive field survey and a detailed ground data report on reclamation.  
    According to a detailed map of liquefaction obtained through the field survey, all liquefaction sites were located on reclaimed land and not on natural ground. At Ikuho-niijima, which has acquired the outline of reclamation, detailed ground data revealed that liquefaction occurred in the areas with loose sand deposit and high groundwater level in wells, a characteristic of reclaimed land, which in Awaji City tends to be young ground. On the basis of the field survey and detailed ground data report on reclamation, these findings strongly suggest that loose sand deposit and high groundwater level in wells are important factors for liquefaction, combined with earthquake motion. Ground improvement of these lands benefited the prevention of liquefaction, and it is conjectured that this improvement is a regulation factor of liquefaction damage distribution.
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