GIS as an Information Infrastructure for Recovery and Reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake

This study considers the regional characteristics of the Tohoku region and the extent of the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and makes proposals for recovery and reconstruction of the areas affected by this disaster as well as for a reduction of the impact of natural disasters that may occur in the future with GIS （geographic information systems） as a social infrastructure positioned at the heart of the information infrastructure. Due to the fact that social media that used ICT （information and communication technology） was useful in the days directly after the disaster, it can be said that it is necessary to investigate the provision of an information infrastructure that uses ICT to reduce the impact of disasters. Therefore, this study proposes the construction of a geographical information database using GIS and the provision and sharing of information using social media GIS after discussion of the relationship between the development of the computerization of Japan and GIS as a valid example of using information systems for recovery and reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Analysis of Ship Refuge Action in Tsunami Using AIS Data： Case of the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

A massive earthquake occurred in the Tohoku and Kanto regions of Japan on the 1 lth of March 2011. In response, a tsunami alert, a tsunami warning and an advisory were issued for the entire Pacific coast region. This research investigates the evacuation behavior of ships by AIS （automatic identification system） data in Onahama port after the tsunami warning was issued. The unusual behavior observed was attributed to the emergency evacuation of ships. This research investigates the evacuation behaviors of the vessels using the data obtained from AIS, around the Onahama Port during alerting the major tsunami warning. The result shows that most vessels in the port started evacuating approximately 10 min after the major tsunami warning and completed offshore evacuation 40 min after this warning. This contributed in understanding the actual status of the vessel evacuation. In addition, the travel paths of each vessel revealed the influence of the tsunami on the vessels. Furthermore, the exceptional situation where several vessels moved in the same direction at the speed almost same for about 2 hours was confirmed. As a result, it can be estimated that the waves that affected both vessels were the drawback of the tsunamis.

Seismic Design of Offshore Wind Turbine Withstands Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Japan＇s first open sea offshore wind farm, Kamisu offshore windfarm Phase l, was stricken by an earthquake of intensity 6 on the Japanese seismic scale and a five-meter-high tsunami during the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11,2011. The wind farm resumed operation on March 14 after checks revealed no damage to the system, even though the wind farm was temporarily forced to stop due to the grid failure caused by the earthquake. Wind turbines require a precise seismic design especially in an earthquake-prone country such as Japan. Wind power Kamisu Phase 2 was built one year after the earthquake based on the experience of Kamisu Phase 1. This paper presents the seismic design of offshore wind turbines and the situation during the earthquake and tsunami.

New energy policy and low-carbon society in Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 devastated the eastern region of Japan.Due to the resulting nuclear accident,Japanese Cabinet decided to revise its energy policies.The Energy and Environment Council in National Policy Unit published options on the nation's scenarios for energy and economy in 2030.We estimated the economic impacts of the options to national economy and households in 2030.Finally,we clarified significant factors to establish a secure,affluent and low-carbon society based on the energy scenarios.

Damage Analysis of the Great East Japan Earthquake

This paper tries to comprehensively summarize the reasons of damages at the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 and what are the lessons in terms of earthquake and tsunami safety of building and cities. The paper examines the damage of tsunami affected areas and analyses the damage to extract lessons in order to safely reconstruct the affected areas from the view point of building regulations such as ＂Disaster Risk Area＂ provided by the Article 39 of the Building Standard Law and the Urbanization Control Area and UPA （Urbanization Promotion Area） provided by the Article 8 of the Ordinance of the City Planning Law of Japan.

Consumer Reaction to the Great East Japan Earthquake

Following the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, the demand for bottled water increased sharply. In this paper, the authors analyze who purchased more bottled water after the earthquake using Quick Purchase Report data. The results are as follows： first, consumers who before the earthquake tended to purchase less bottled water tended to increase the volume purchased after the earthquake; second, the motives for purchasing bottled water after the earthquake differed between consumers in the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan districts.

Characteristics of Tsunami Damage to the Tide Walls in Iwate Prefecture from the Great East Japan Earthquake

This research paper describes the tsunami damage to tide walls observed using aerial photographs and field investigations at 13 locations along the coast of Iwate Prefecture, where significant tsunami damage occurred as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake. This paper also summarizes the characteristics of the damage. The tide walls in Iwate Prefecture were constructed on a ria （hilly type） coast, this geographical feature of lwate being different from that of the other disaster areas, primarily Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures. The results of our investigations show that all the devastated tide walls suffered from overflow before being damaged. In particular, the sloping and vertical type tide walls with slope protection were damaged by scouring of the infill sand or back fill soil due to the overflow of the tsunami. In the case of vertical type tide walls without slope protection, damage was caused by scouring of the back fill soil.

Evaluation of the Long-Term Changes in Fatigue of Cancer Survivors Who Received Outpatient Chemotherapy in the Area Affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake

Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the long-term changes in fatigue of cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy after a disaster such as the Great Earthquake. Methods: From 2012 to 2014, we measured subjective fatigue, autonomic function, and physical activity with reference to the criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome. Results: The participants were 13, 9 males (69.2%) and 4 females (30.8%). The most common cancer among the participants was lung cancer 4 patients (30.8%). In 2012, eight patients (61.6%) received anti-cancer drugs and three (23.0%) received the drug by intravenous drip and oral administration. Physical fatigue (p = 0.004), mental fatigue (p = 0.002), comprehensive fatigue (p = 0.012), and comprehensive evaluations (p = 0.032) were significantly different. Significant differences in the autonomic nervous function were observed during the three years from 2012 to 2014 (log LF [p = 0.017], log HF [p = 0.023] and log LF/HF [p = 0.039]). Similar to Subjective fatigue, Significant differences in physical activity were observed during the three years from 2012 to 2014 (DA [p = 0.042], TST [p = 0.037], SE [p = 0.018], AW [p = 0.023] and Naps [p = 0.014]). Conclusions: The participants fatigue worsened at one time, but showed improvement over time. In the event of an emergency such as a disaster, it is necessary to evaluate the physical and mental condition based on objective indicators of cancer patients receiving anti-cancer drug treatment and provide nursing support.

Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: A Business Process Management Perspective

The Tohoku Regional Bureau(TRB) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism(MLIT) performed various actions in response to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The total disaster recovery and reconstruction period is expected to last for 10 years, of which the first five years are regarded as the concentrated reconstruction period. As of 2013, a majority of the mega projects that involved restoration actions have been completed, which indicates a more effective rate of completion compared with the MLIT projects performed in normal non-disaster situations. This short article explains the management process of the recovery and reconstruction utilized by the TRB—an interorganizational process—from a business process management(BPM) perspective and creates a simple organization construction diagram of the entire process. The study focused on the transactions and actor roles to identify their strengths. The findings indicate the utilization of different operational procedures in some parts of the process, the importance of liaison role, as well as some obstacles. The lessons learned from this analysis can assist managers and researchers in designing and managing restoration processes for future disasters.

Media Preference, Information Needs, and the Language Proficiency of Foreigners in Japan after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the Japanese government identified the lack of proficiency in the Japanese language as one characteristic of foreigners that should be considered in disaster prevention planning.This article seeks to understand how proficiency in a local language affects disaster information gathering behavior by using the results of a questionnaire survey conducted after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Respondents were categorized based on their Japanese and English language abilities. Their media mode, language preferences, information importance, and information-gathering difficulties also were examined. It was found that foreigners skilled in Japanese demonstrated similar information gathering behavior as Japanese respondents, but foreigners unskilled in Japanese showed little usage of Japanese-language media. This group also encountered difficulties due to a lack of Japanese proficiency, but many members were able to acquire some level of Japanese-language information through Internet-based methods. To address language proficiency in disaster prevention planning, information provision in languages other than Japanese should be increased, and Japanese information should be shared in a way that facilitates translation. Although this survey wassignificant in its scope, the results should be considered within the limitations of the Internet-based response collection and focus only on the less-affected area of Japan.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction at Five:Lessons from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030(SFDRR) represents an inclusive approach to disaster risk reduction, linked to development and recovery. Building on previous international guidelines, the SFDRR promotes practical and measurable outcomes for reducing disaster losses, including indicators to measure progress towards seven specific global targets.Evaluated in the context of the priorities and global targets of the SFDRR, the article considers the case of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011 to illustrate advances and limitations in pre-disaster tsunami hazard engineering and post-disaster recovery. With respect to the targets set out in the Sendai Framework related to risk reduction and tsunami engineering, especially Priority 1,understanding disaster risk, there have been significant advances in hazard assessment and systems for tsunami detection and warning. Although the SFDRR emphasizes actions in the recovery phase through Priority 4, enhancing disaster preparedness with an emphasis on the concept of build back better, on its own this does not function as a clear directive for guiding recovery. However, the overall people-centered and inclusive approach of the SFDRR, as well as the global targets and several sub-priorities, can be a useful way to shape good practices in recovery and evaluate recovery progress.

Responses of the East Component of Beijing GNSS Continuous Observation Stations to the 2011 Japan M_W 9.0 Earthquake

Several new demands have been put forward for the application of the Beijing continuous GNSS observations due to some particular reasons, such as the limited coverage of the observation network, the different construction and management criterion executed by different units and the intense interference resulting from human activity. In this paper, necessary processing of data is carried out, including more accurate calculation, corrections to the replacement, outliers and relocation of equipment, and elimination of linear trends in the E-component for every station. The E-components of the 16 available stations showed a lower sawtooth wave anomaly （slowly westward propagating） before the 2011 Tohoku Mw9. 0 earthquake, a coseismic step rebound （rapid eastward propagating） and a post-seismic D-shaped recovery. These steps constituted a complete earthquake process which was rarely seen before in the GNSS observations and provides a good example for further study. Moreover, the rapid eastward propagating during the earthquake is not influenced by the size of the given normal values, which may play a significant role in earthquake forecasting and early warning.

Volunteer Activities in Time of Disaster in Japan＇s Highly Information-Oriented Society

This study aims to clarify the characteristics of volunteer activities in times of disaster, while taking into account the influence of the orientation towards information intensity, which is an important feature of contemporary Japanese society, and focusing on the volunteer activities for recovery and reconstruction in the disaster-stricken areas of the Great East Japan Earthquake. In modern Japanese society, because volunteer activities are being conducted in a variety of forms, those who wish to volunteer can participate in volunteer activities that suit their own situation. Further, in a highly information-oriented society such as modern Japan, many kinds of information systems can be used to conduct a variety of volunteer activities. Also, know-how concerning the introduction and methods of volunteer activity and recruitment for participants in volunteer activities are introduced using various information media, and there are many volunteer activities to choose from. Therefore, it is possible that through the diversification of volunteer activities, many people become involved in volunteer activities on a long-term basis, using ways of doing so that are possible for themselves.

Sustainable Post-Disaster Solutions--London 1666, Lisbon 1755 and Japan 2011reLearning from the Past

Natural disasters have impacted human settlements throughout the centuries, imparting lessons as new ways and strategies to avoid or minimize the damage inflicted by the natural processes. This on-going process has created new landscapes instrumental to man＇s balance of the use of the land by taking into account the probability of further natural disasters. This paper discusses the responses to disaster challenges taking past experiences on ＂after disaster decisions＂ in London 1666, in Lisbon 1755 as a framework to analyse the more recent Great East Japan Earthquake disaster. The concept of sustainability which adds a new perspective to the subject of more resistant solutions and strategies as the opportunity for a new design is presented by the destruction. Sustainable environmental, social and cultural issues improvements are important goals introduced in the 20th century and enrich long-term human adaptations to natural processes. They are also considered in this analysis as an evolving final product of the human adaptation that results in more durable cultural landscapes.

Verification of the Time Tsunami Attacked Coasting Ships Using AIS-Case of the 2011 Japan Tsunami

This research aims to elucidate the navigational situation of ships during the massive tsunami that occurred in the Tohoku district of Japan on March 11,2011. In particular, it focuses on the time the massive tsunami encountered ships. AIS （automatic identification system）, which is required to be fitted aboard large ships for identifying and locating vessels, was used for the analysis of the navigational status of ships. It was confirmed that a group of ships sailing off the coast suddenly changed course. It was also verified that the ships had been struck by the tsunami, and the time of the strike was identified. The novelty and importance of this research are as follows. First, the behaviour of many ships that encountered the massive tsunami was clarified. There are no earlier instances of simultaneous and detailed recording of the behaviour of many ships encountering a massive tsunami. Second, the movement of the ships that encountered the tsunami was analysed, and the time of the maximum wave of the tsunami was verified. The research presents, for the first time in ship history, the status of a ship at the time of a tsunami using objective navigational data.

Policy Analysis on Building Regulations and the Recovery of Earthquake and Tsunami Affected Areas

The paper examines the situation and causes of recent big earthquake and tsunami disasters especially in the case of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and analyzes the damage to extract lessons on safety of buildings and recovery of cities from the view point of building regulations such as the Article 39 of the Building Standard Law. In addition, the Article 8 of the Ordinance of City Planning Law resulted in not so effective against tsunami in March 2011. Control mechanisms of building construction should be integrated into socio-economic, institutional, technical and other policy tools. In order to mitigate earthquake risk, all stages of building construction, from location, planning and construction to maintenance are important. Awareness creation is instrumental for building culture of safety and demands for intervention in disaster mitigation. The demands ultimately help in creating conducive environment for policy intervention, in realizing institutional mechanism of building code enforcement and land use control for the municipal authorities and in creating demand for competent professionals.

Analysis of Ship Evacuation during Tsunami Using AIS （Automatic Identification System） Data

External forces of marine weather, such as waves, currents and wind flows, affect the course and speed of a ship under way. As a result, marine accidents, such as collisions or grounding, may occur, particularly in inshore areas. On coasts where earthquakes and tsunamis occur frequently, such as the Japanese coast, a tsunami that advances into a bay from the open sea is influenced by the submarine topography. It grows into a huge wave that could cause tremendous damage to ships under way and at anchorage. A massive earthquake occurred in the Tohoku and Kanto regions of Japan on March 11,2011. In response, a tsunami alert, a tsunami warning and an advisory were issued for the entire Pacific coast region. This research investigates the evacuation behaviour of ships by AIS （automatic identification system） data in Tokyo Bay after the tsunami warning was issued. The unusual behaviour observed was attributed to the emergency evacuation of ships.

Households' Risk Perception and Behavioral Responses to Natech Accidents

This study analyzes data on households' risk perception and protective behavior following a natural disaster triggered technological accident(Natech accident)that occurred at an industrial park in Sendai during the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, on 11 March2011. The results indicate that some households carried out multiple evacuations and that households' risk perceptions changed throughout the Natech accident evacuation process. Risk perception differed according to household location and demographic characteristics. We also found differences in the protective measures adopted for households in different locations. Specifically, those living closer to the Natech accident tended to evacuate immediately,whereas those living further away tended to shelter in place. Wind direction is discussed as a factor that influences households' risk perception and evacuation response to a Natech accident. The findings of this study advance knowledge of household behavior in response to a Natech accident and can assist emergency managers in developing strategies for better management of evacuation processes.