木村 玲欧

In this study, we analyzed the disaster management education programs implemented by organizations included in the Disaster Management Education Challenge Plan, a program established to support disaster management education efforts in Japan. We examined the changes in these programs and identified the current state and issues in the promotion of disaster education in Japan by classifying the contents. The study methodology involved creating data sets of the program reports submitted from fiscal year (FY) 2004 to FY2021 by organizations admitted to the Disaster Management Education Challenge Plan, and evaluating them on scales of “fundamental skills of disaster management” and “factors regarding implementing the programs.” Analysis of the former found that there were few programs aimed at acquiring a scientific understanding of disasters as natural phenomena or learning about measures to prevent damage at normal times. Cluster analysis yielded eight clusters, based on which we discussed and proposed ways to implement the programs in order to improve the “fundamental skills of disaster management.” Similarly, analysis of the latter identified issues with regard to program logistics, such as securing financial resources and cultivating future successors. Cluster analysis yielded five clusters, based on which we discussed and proposed ways to effectively implement the programs.

In this study, the authors propose a disaster management drill program for high school students. The program is designed to develop, among high school students, “the awareness that disasters affect themselves,” instead of being “someone else’s problem.” The program was developed in accordance with the ADDIE model of instructional design theory. Sayo High School in Sayo Town, Hyogo Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the flood in 2009, was selected as the program target. Since this school’s disaster management activities had primarily translated into a passive disaster management drill wherein students moved to an evacuation site according to the instructions of the teachers, we set two goals: “knowing past disasters and the current situation, and understanding the risks at the time of disaster” and “knowing the problems that occur at the time of disaster and understanding what action you should take.” In order to arouse interest among high school students, the authors incorporated drones for evacuation drills and gaming teaching materials for disaster management awareness into the program. We designed and implemented a program that ended in the morning, and compared the level of achievement on 21 learning objectives before and after the program. The results revealed a statistically significant rise in all of the 21 objectives. In addition, the results of factor analysis show that the program enabled the students to develop a sense of awareness that disasters affect everyone, understand the risks their communities would face during disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, and realize what they should do to manage this risk.

This study examines the effect of the recognition of various disaster scenarios on the disaster management behavior of people. It analyzes the data (n = 1,900) of the social surveys, conducted by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) in seven districts of Japan (Hokkaido/Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu). The study indicates that the experience of victims, recognition of earthquake occurrence in the region and of earthquake hazard maps, as well as the factors, “life threatening,” “difficulties in daily life,” and “induced disasters,” in the disaster scenarios are related to their disaster management behavior. The greater their recognition of “life threatening” and “difficulties in daily life,” the more people will adopt disaster management behaviors. This study suggests that, added to the experience of victims and the recognition of the occurrence of earthquakes and of hazard maps, the image of the damage through specific disaster scenarios affects people’s disaster management behavior. On the other hand, it has become apparent that creating images of “induced disasters” that are caused by earthquakes, with their unclear association, may lead to psychological confusion.

In this study, we developed a tsunami disaster risk reduction (DRR) education program for children with little or no memory/experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The objective was to strengthen their disaster response capacity and enable them to think and act to protect their lives from tsunami disasters. The development of this program employed the ADDIE model of Instructional Design in learning theory. Based on the GIGA school concept promoted by Japan, information and communications technology (ICT)-based education and DRR education were integrated into the program from a geographical perspective. Using the ICT-based teaching materials, YOU@RISK Tsunami Disaster Edition, empirical learning was introduced. The town of Shichigahama in Miyagi Prefecture, which was devastated by the tsunami during the Great East Japan Earthquake, was selected as the study target. The study implemented and verified the program with local elementary school students to assess its effectiveness.

Expectant and nursing mothers need to prepare for natural disasters to protect their lives and their children’s lives and to maintain their health and daily life after the disaster. This study aimed to clarify the actual conditions of disaster preparedness behaviors of expectant and nursing mothers and to identify factors promoting disaster preparation behavior and behavioral intentions that lead to disaster preparation behavior among expectant and nursing mothers. We conducted a cross-sectional survey involving 1,000 expectants and nursing mothers between October 2020 and January 2021 using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. We received 135 valid responses. The questionnaire included items about the actual status of disaster preparation, attitudes toward preparation behavior based on Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior, subjective norms on disaster preparation determined by perceived expectations from others, descriptive norms on disaster preparation that refer to the perceptions of others’ engagement in disaster preparation behavior, perceptions of behavioral control that refer to views regarding how easy or difficult it is to perform a given behavior, and social support sources that are required for disaster preparation behavior. Correlations among variables were analyzed. A structural equation modeling technique was used to test a model to explain factors encouraging expectant and nursing mothers to prepare for disaster.

In this study, the results of a large-scale random sampled questionnaire survey of the disaster victims of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake are summarized. This survey was conducted during the period between March and June 2016, five years after the earthquake disaster, and included all men and women of age 20 and older who resided in the three disaster-stricken prefectures that suffered significant damage. In this study, the situation at the time of the disaster and the effective measures for disaster management in the future are examined through two questions: “Who does the disaster victims rely on for life recovery?” and “Based on this experience, who should responsibly implement the measures for disaster management in the future?” The results of these large-scale random sampled questionnaire surveys for the disasters in the past are referenced to compare the 1995 Great Hanshin Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake, the 2004 Mid-Niigata Earthquake, and the 2007 Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake. Analysis of the question, “Which persons and organizations (supporters) were relied upon in life recovery?” shows that three persons and organizations, including, a partner, children, and the town or city administration, are relied upon in all the aspects of personal or emotional, material or financial, and vital information. From all generations and kinds of supporters, people sixty and over constitute the demographic from which the least support is expected. For this generation. the family of a partner, children, mutual assistance from community associations and governmental assistance from the town/city administration are considered as the common support in all aspects. Then, comparing this with other earthquake disasters showed that a quick and careful response to all the earthquake victims by the administrative organizations is limited in large cities where relations between organizations and locals cannot be evaluated and expected. In the analysis of the question, “Who should implement the measures for disaster management in a responsible way?” it is made clear that the division of roles among self-help, mutual assistance, and governmental assistance can be summarized in the following four patterns: Mainly by governmental assistance, mainly by self-help, in cooperation with mutual assistance and governmental assistance, and in cooperation with of self-help, mutual assistance, and governmental assistance, altogether. Comparisons between all the earthquake disasters, lead to the understanding that the disaster victims who experienced a large-scale disaster consider that the measures for disaster management should be implemented by through self-help, mutual assistance, and governmental assistance, altogether, regardless of the disaster and local characteristics. In Japanese society it seems that the division of roles among self-help, mutual assistance, and governmental assistance could generally be proposed.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effect size of seven critical elements on the life recovery in three prefectures, Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture, which were severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster. This study used the 2016 Tohoku Life Recovery Survey (N = 2111, response rate: 35.2%) for the analysis. The dataset was divided into each prefecture sample to compare the effects of seven critical elements on life recovery in the three prefectures. We obtained samples from Fukushima (N = 603), Iwate (N = 781), and Miyagi (N = 727). First, the distribution of life recovery by the three prefectures was confirmed. The results showed that those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster in Miyagi have a higher quality of life recovery. Finally, we compared the effects of seven critical elements on life recovery among the three prefectures’ models using GLM analysis. From the comparison of effect size (partial η²) and discussion, three points are shown. 1) In the Fukushima model, the effect size of physical/mental stress management and social ties was larger than in the other models. 2) The effects of 1) were caused by the experience of diaspora (nuclear disaster-caused displacement). 3) If forced diaspora can create good relationships with local people, the positive effects of social ties on life recovery for such people are larger than for those who have not experienced diaspora.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a global threat. It is considered a CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive) disaster that has caused not only a public health crisis but also psychological, social, and economic problems. The recovery of social and economic activities remains an urgent issue. This study developed an assessment framework of the “recovery calendar” to visualize the process of people’s recognition of recovery from the COVID-19 calamity. Data on this recovery calendar were collected from an online questionnaire survey administered on a total of 449 respondents from 10 groups divided by gender (male or female) and age (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and above). The results showed that the recovery process took place in the following order: recognition of COVID-19’s impact on society and of the imposition of a constrained lifestyle, recognition of returning to work or the resumption of local schools, and finally, recognition of the recovery of the household and local economies, although these remained at a low level of activity. Importantly, the recovery progressed slowly. The results also indicated that measures such as the declaration or lifting of the state of emergency, or the “Go To” travel campaign, affected people’s recognition of recovery. Moreover, the recognition of recovery depended on social demographics. Men, younger people, and those with a stable life base were more likely to perceive recovery from the disaster. This study discussed the applicability of the assessment framework of the recovery calendar to visualize people’s recovery process from the COVID-19 calamity.

In this study, we collected disaster prevention education materials from all over Japan focusing on "guidance plans," and created 2,217 data with variables such as target disaster, subject, school type and grade, and learning contents. The data showed that current disaster prevention education programs are developed mainly for elementary and junior high schools, and that there is a lack of programs for learning about meteorological disasters and for understanding the phenomena and mechanisms of disasters. In addition, cluster analysis using variable of correspondence to the Courses of Study showed that the disaster prevention education plans could be classified into three perspectives and eight clusters, providing suggestions for the systematization of disaster prevention education programs in the future.

In this study, an education program for heavy rainfall risk management was developed using the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) model of instructional design (ID) to enhance the disaster response capabilities of schoolchildren to encourage them to think and act responsibly to protect themselves during a disaster following heavy rainfall. The program’s effectiveness was evaluated by its implementation at Nagaoka Municipal Senju Elementary School in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, which was devastated by the heavy rainfall caused by 2019 Typhoon No.19. The learning effect was confirmed throughout the program. Furthermore, the program has improved because of its implementation and evaluation.

A supplementary textbook for disaster prevention education was analyzed for understanding the content educators wish to include in disaster prevention curriculums. The text was a condensed textbook – edited by schoolteachers and boards of education in the local governments – from wide areas with a population of one million who were severely affected by the damage and deaths caused by the Great Hanshin-Awaji and the Great East Japan Earthquakes. The targets for analysis were supplementary textbooks for students in junior high schools, published by the five boards of education in Miyagi, Sendai, Iwate, Hyogo, and Kobe. 147 subjects of five supplementary textbooks for disaster prevention education were evaluated as to their applicability to 46 evaluation items. The average of the evaluation items was 11.59 (SD = 2.92). Numerous “Records” (111 subjects, 75.5%) and “Images” (109 subjects, 74.1%), resulted from each evaluation. A remarkable majority of disaster types included “Earthquake disasters” (108 subjects, 73.5%) and “Tsunami disasters” (85 subjects, 57.8%). “Related Fields,” “Social studies” (30 subjects, 20.4%), and “Science” (29 subjects, 19.7%) were the most common subjects. In “Related Fields,” “Special activities” included the highest subjects (59 subjects, 40.1%), after “Ethics,” which included 56 subjects (38.1%). “Writer and persons involved” and “Student who writes compositions and is involved as a learner” included 72 subjects (49.0%). Subsequently, there were “Local residents,” (52 subjects, 35.4%), “Researchers and experts” (36 subjects, 24.5%), and “Unaffected persons” (35 subjects, 23.8%), which included volunteers. Regarding “Type of disaster prevention education,” learning activities for “Prepare for disasters” included the most subjects at 92 (62.6%). Subsequently, learning activities to “Enrich the mind (love for family and community, compassion, the importance of life,)” by raising students’ included 60 sub jects (40.8%). Regarding “Qualities and abilities expected to be acquired,” “Knowledge” showed the highest 91 subjects (61.9%). Next was “Self-awareness” (64 subjects, 43.5%), “Social participation/community contribution” (48 subjects, 32.7%), and “Kindness to disaster-affected people” (47 subjects, 32.0%). Moreover, cluster analysis (ward method) was performed using a data set of the subject evaluation of the supplementary textbooks. The analysis with subjects presented six types: “Life-saving measures,” “Fortifying town,” “Measures required for disaster survival,” “Awareness of joining local community,” “Disaster comradery,” and “Living with family and community.” All the five supplementary textbooks featured those six types. More than half of the subjects were featured content regarding student emotions. The first three types were combined and understood as “Countermeasures” with “Knowledge.” In addition, the latter three types were combined and understood as subjects to teach the “Will to live together,” with a relation such as that of ethics and emotional learning. When the same data set was subjected to cluster analysis (ward method) using the evaluation items, four types were obtained: “Knowledge to prepare for earthquake and tsunami disasters,” “Solidarity with family and residents,” “Emergency Response Judgement,” and “Knowledge and skills useful at disaster time.” The types correspond to the classification of the conceptual model of disaster prevention education conducted by Sato et al. [1]. Additionally, all types have corresponding qualities and abilities. The results led teachers to believe that disaster prevention education should be implemented, not simply as life-saving education, but also as instructions that promote the emotional growth of children while cultivating humanity.

In 2018 torrential rain caused serious human suffering and damage to property in western Japan. Following such disasters, the investigation of residents’ subsequent recovery process is important to determine the support required in affected areas and disaster risk management. This study examines the effects of psychological resilience on residents’ life recovery following the torrential rain. We conducted a web survey with 1,000 residents in 13 districts of Hiroshima prefecture and 6 districts of Okayama prefecture that suffered the most damage caused by the torrential rain. The survey used the “recovery calendar” approach to assess residents’ life recovery from the disaster. Results indicated that residents who had suffered relatively little damage began to recover during the “disaster utopia” phase up to 2 months after the disaster. However, residents who had suffered serious damage began to recover during the “reentry to everyday life” phase up to 6 months after the disaster. Moreover, older residents or residents with strong psychological resilience who suffered serious damage were likely to recover sooner than those with weaker psychological resilience. Therefore, this study indicates the importance of an approach to disaster recovery according to the level of damage, phased time period, and psychological resilience.

The torrential rain (named “the July 2018 heavy rain”) from June 28 to July 8 in 2018 resulted in tremendous human and property damage. There were 237 deaths and 7,173 cases of flooding above the floor level. During the torrential rain, the low rate of evacuation behavior of residents in the affected area was also a problem. The Okayama prefecture conducted a mail survey with residents that suffered housing damage caused by the torrential rain (valid sample n = 3,765). The survey measured what residents’ awareness and knowledge were of flooding before the torrential rain, residents’ prediction of flooding and choice and reason of evacuation behavior during the emergency heavy rain warning and the evacuation order (emergency). This study analyzed the determinants of residents’ evacuation behaviors during the torrential rain with the survey data. The results indicated that, although most residents were aware of hazard maps before the torrential rain, few predicted flooding. Most residents were aware of the evacuation shelters and had a prior evacuation plan. However, some residents made no attempt to evacuate, even when their houses were damaged. During the emergency heavy rain warning, feeling a sense of crisis was an important factor to promote evacuation behavior. And, during the evacuation order (emergency), the majority of those who took actual evacuation behaviors was those who were approached by public sectors such as the fire department and the police. Moreover, residents’ judgment based on scientific information such as hazard maps and prediction of flooding before the torrential rain had little effect on evacuation behavior during the emergency heavy rain warning and the evacuation order (emergency). Therefore, the study indicates the importance of approaching residents’ affective decision-making, instead of relying on rational decision-making, to promote evacuation behavior when people are in unusual situations.

<p>This study categorized the disaster management education programs at the children's center in Kamitonda Town, Wakayama Prefecture, developed a model based on analyses, and suggested a conceptualized school disaster management education. This program is a program where housekeepers are developing for the purpose of "learning disaster responses in daily life" from viewpoint of ordinary people. Since 2007, more than 160 programs have been practiced. In this study, these programs were organized based on learning objectives, and evaluated using the three pillars of qualities and abilities of the new educational guidelines in Japan. We also examined and proposed whether these activities could be applied to disaster management education in future school education programs.</p>

<p>This study is aimed at clarifying the effects of the disaster reduction education plan developed to enhance students' capabilities to achieve a sustainable society. Through the plan implemented along with UD classes at three high schools, the students understood UD definitions and grasped the actual situations of shelters and disaster-related deaths. They realized the influence of UD-related things spreading in the world around them, e.g. products, facilities, information and services and the possibilities of their being members of the diverse people and of their showing leadership in shelters.</p>

In order to contribute to the field of disaster science, various research in Japan currently focus on the clarification of the phenomenon called “disaster.” Due to society’s demand for disaster prevention and disaster mitigation, these researches are carried out through collaboration among researchers in science, engineering, humanities, social sciences, etc. These research outcomes are aimed at the following: verification of disaster cases of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; clarification of the disaster occurrence mechanisms of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; sophistication of information for disaster mitigation of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; and development of researchers, engineers, and human resources involved in disaster prevention operations and disaster prevention responses. This article puts these research outcomes to-gether from four points of view: 1) research on earthquakes and volcanic eruptions disaster cases, 2) clarification of disaster occurrence mechanisms of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, 3) sophistication of information for disaster mitigation of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and 4) development of researchers, engineers, and human resources involved in disaster prevention operations and disaster prevention responses.

<p>In this study, we first discuss the current status and issues of disaster management education in the context of special support education in Japan, in view of the casualties of those with disabilities during major past earthquakes in Japan. We highlight that there are very few examples of practical implementation of, instructional material for, or previous studies on disaster management education for disabled children, or an established systematic instructional method. As a result, disaster management education tailored to the specific type of disability has been implemented on a school-to-school basis among Special Support Schools for children with disabilities. In many cases, teacher-led evacuation drills have been considered disaster management education. This is an indication that the disaster management education currently practiced in Special Support Schools is inadequate to achieve the goal of "fostering the attitude of acting on one's initiative" as set forth by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). In view of the situation in Japan, where casualties due to natural disasters continue to occur frequently since the Great East Japan Earthquake, it is urgent that we promote practical disaster management education to foster the Zest for Life among disabled children. This paper is a case study of disaster management education that targets those with intellectual disabilities, which is the largest reported disability type among children enrolled in Special Support Schools in Japan. We applied the ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate) process in instructional design to develop an earthquake disaster management program designed to heighten the capacity of disabled children to foresee and circumvent danger to themselves, so as to protect their lives from large earthquakes which occur frequently in Japan. Specifically, the objective is to apply the earthquake disaster management education program, developed by the authors in a previous study, to children with intellectual disabilities. To this end, we implemented the program at the target school and verified its educational effect while taking into consideration the degree or condition of disability and the learning characteristics of the intellectually disabled and developed a valid program for intellectually disabled children. The program allows the teachers of Special Support Schools to practice disaster management education in the context of daily classroom study with students without the need to dispatch a disaster management expert to the school each time a program is implemented. Additionally, the program can be customized by the onsite teacher for individual schools, which can lead to a systematic program in disaster management education. In addition, we propose a framework to establish a network of stakeholders, including disaster management experts or organizations and educational institutions to effectively and strategically promote disaster management education. This framework makes it possible to implement the present program the most impactful way, and to maximize the benefits to the schools in Tochigi prefecture.</p>

<p>During the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster, the medical team's responses in the Iwate Prefecture Emergency Operation Center (EOC) experienced many difficulties, especially in the first nine days after disaster occurrence. In this paper we proposed to objectively reveal problems of response activities at the viewpoint of information processing by the After Action Review (AAR), focusing on the activity logs in the time series (chronologies). By using the Emergency Support Function (ESF) as a framework of our analysis, we clarified the gap between the task that should be performed and actual conditions in the operation of the Japan Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) from the hyperacute phase to the subacute phase of medical responses.</p>

<p>We developed an disaster education program at Shizugawa Junior High School in Minami-sanriku town, Miyagi prefecture. This program conducts basic training such as emergency first aid, debris removal, and emergency warm meal service in the classes of integrated periods of study. The ultimate goal is to carry out "evacuation center management training" while having the students make a decision for themselves regardless of the predetermined scenario. Through experiential active learnings rather than classroom lectures, it is possible to foster the students' ability to balance knowledge, morality, and physical body (zest for life). We developed 47 items of "evacuation center response capability" scale in order to verify whether this training program nurtures the zest for life.</p>

<p>This study developed and verified a disaster management education/training program for students with visually impaired to raise the "zest for life" at the time of a disaster based on the instructional design theory. We conducted a questionnaire survey with all the special-needs schools in Tochigi Prefecture, and set as the learning objective the fact that the visually impaired students can act to protect themselves depending on the situation after being aware of the earthquake shaking or the earthquake early warning. We practiced the program with Tochigi Prefectural Special School for the Visually Impaired as a case study, and verified the achievement degree of the learning objectives. In particular, it was revealed that this has a great effect on the programs using the ADL Room.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study is to reveal the effects of seven critical elements of life recovery to the individual life recoveries by using random sampling data in Tohoku region. The sample consists of survivors who lived in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefecture (N=2011, Response rate: 33.5%). As a result, following four points was shown. 1) The effects of housing damage and older person to the individual life recoveries disappeared when the seven critical elements of life recovery except for economic situation were controlled. 2) The economic situation affects the individual life recoveries through the effects of prefecture of residence. 3) GRP affects the individual life recoveries independently. 4) The effect sizes toward the individual life recoveries were large in order of "Physical and Mental Stress", "Economic/Financial Situation", "Housing".</p>

<p>An M6.1 earthquake occurred in the northern part of Ōsaka-fu (Osaka Prefecture) on June 18, 2018, with many areas in the Kinki region experiencing intense shaking. In Ōsaka City and Takatsuki City seismic intensity 6 lower was observed, resulting in 4 deaths, 15 people sustaining serious injuries, 419 people sustaining minor injuries, 10 completely destroyed residence, 181 partially destroyed residences, and 32,989 residences partially damaged (as of July 17, 2018). There were 339 cases of people being trapped in elevators. At most, approximately 1700 people were evacuated. While there were no derailment incidents on the Shinkansen or local train lines, service was suspended on most railways. Following this earthquake, Ōsaka-fu took the decision to apply The Disaster Relief Act. Response was then enacted by the government local public bodies, and the private sector.</p>

<p>During the Great East Japan Earthquake Disaster, medical team's responses in Iwate Prefecture Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters had many difficulties, especially during first nine days. In this paper we proposed to objectively reveal problems of response activities at the viewpoint of information processing by After Action Review focusing on the activity logs in the time series (chronologies). By using Emergency Support Function (ESF) as a framework of our analysis, we clarified the gap between the task that should be performed and actual conditions in the operation of Japan DMAT from hyperacute phase to subacute phase of medial responses.</p>

The 2016 Kumamoto earthquake consisted of a magnitude 6.2 foreshock that occurred on the 14th of April, and a magnitude 7.3 main shock that occurred on the 16th of April. The main shock occurring over the magnitude 6.2 foreshock was not anticipated because the foreshock was originally considered to be the main shock. After the earthquakes occurred, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) discontinued its policy of announcing the probability of aftershock occurrences. The experience of the Kumamoto earthquake and the policy change concerning risk communication may affect the public risk perception of earthquakes, as well as the public trust toward authorities. In this study, we examined the reasons residents made the decision to evacuation both the foreshock and the main shock. Moreover, we investigated how residents perceived subsequent earthquake risk and they evaluate similarity and trust toward the authorities (the JMA, government, mass media, prefecture, and municipality). This study analyzed data from a mail survey implemented by the MEXT of Japan in the areas of the Kumamoto prefecture that were damaged by the earthquake. As a result, there were differences in the reasons for evacuation decisions between the foreshock and the main shock. Although residents decided to evacuate based on a fear of disaster in the foreshock, they decided to evacuate the main shock based on neighborhood communication. Moreover, the residents’ evacuation patterns influenced the earthquake risk perception. As well, the evacuation pattern influenced similarity toward the authorities and then reduced trusts toward the authorities. This study indicates that residents amplified the evaluations of the authorities after the earthquake. The influences of similarities toward the authorities became salient as a determinant of trust. This study reveals features of residents’ risk reactions to the earthquake, and discusses the importance of the similarity of the authorities for disaster risk communication.

In order to reveal the current status and issues of the victims of the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake eight months after its occurrence, we conducted large-scale random sample questionnaire surveys with victims aged 18 and over in the most affected municipalities from November to December 2016. We decided to sample a total of 7,000 victims (1,600 from Kumamoto City and 5,400 from the other thirteen municipalities) with an expected collection rate of 25% and a sampling error of 5%; 3,272 victims effectively responded to the questionnaires (effective collection rate: 46.7%). The Kumamoto Earthquake was a series of earthquakes including foreshocks and main shocks of magnitude 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, and aftershocks that appear to have significantly influenced the victims’ response behaviors as well as the recovery and reconstruction of the affected areas. The questionnaire survey on whether the victims’ pre-earthquake knowledge and awareness had any influence on their post-earthquake behaviors reveals that not more than 30% were aware of the active faults present in their areas before the earthquake occurred and that half of them hoped that no earthquakes would occur. On the other hand, the victims who were aware of the active faults present in their areas and who were afraid that an earthquake could occur within 10 years had planned accordingly and had stocked the necessary goods and provisions. The questionnaire survey on how the victims behaved in the event of the foreshocks and main shocks reveals that about half of them evacuated and found shelter after the foreshocks. Those who feared any aftershocks, and the damage to their buildings due to the aftershocks, evacuated and took shelter. Those whose buildings were not damaged and whose lifelines were available did not evacuate or take shelter. After the main shock, about 70% of the victims evacuated and took shelter because, in addition to their fears of the aftershocks, their buildings were actually damaged and their lifelines had been rendered unavailable. The questionnaire survey on whether the victims’ pre-earthquake knowledge and awareness had any influence on their post-earthquake behaviors reveals that in the event of an earthquake, like in the case of the foreshocks of the Kumamoto Earthquake in which human beings and buildings were not so scathed and people could not decide whether to evacuate or take shelter, those with more pre-earthquake knowledge and with awareness of earthquake damage better anticipated the aftershock occurrences. On the other hand, in the event of the main shocks of the Kumamoto Earthquake, in which there was great damage to humans and buildings, people with or without pre-earthquake knowledge and awareness on earthquake damage were urged to evacuate and take shelter. The questionnaire survey on whether aftershock information was properly communicated to the victims reveals that they followed the information on aftershocks broadcast by TVs and radios immediately after the foreshock had occurred. The victims did not follow the Meteorological Agency’s press release on the aftershocks on the afternoon of the following day in order to get an update. Instead, they took the information broadcast by TVs and radios as “no great aftershocks would occur in the future,” which was completely different from what the Meteorological Agency’s press release intended. The questionnaire survey on the influences of the aftershock information on the victims’ evacuation and sheltering behaviors reveals that the Meteorological Agency’s press release on the following day of the foreshock occurrence stated that the probability of the aftershock occurrence of lower 6 or over on the Japanese seismic intensity scale is 20% in the following three days, and that of the aftershock occurrence of upper 5 or over on the Japanese seismic intensity scale is 40%. This seems to have had a greater influence on the behaviors of the victims who assumed that “no great aftershocks would occur in the future” as compared to the behaviors of those who assumed that “an aftershock could occur anytime in the future” and “a big aftershock might occur in the future.” With regard to the movements in the victims’ long-term post-earthquake residences and evacuation destinations, 57.5% of the total victims stayed at home after the foreshock occurrence, which is not so different from the case of the Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake, an inland earthquake with relatively few aftershock activities. However, the ratio of the victims who stayed at home stood at 28.7% after the main shock occurrence, at 32.8% on the first weekend or about four days after the foreshock occurrence, and at 49% in the week following the earthquake occurrence, which indicates that more victims evacuated and sought shelter outdoors in cars, tents, and vacant grounds as seen in the case of the Mid-Niigata Earthquake, which witnessed many aftershock activities. Therefore, the evacuation behavior pattern in the Kumamoto Earthquake may be regarded as a cross between the Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake and the Mid-Niigata Earthquake.

In this project, a “Disaster Management Literacy Hub” (DMLH) has been developed for collecting, creating, and transmitting various disaster management content over the Internet. The first screen of the DMLH lists disaster management content on tiles to allow users easily find relevant disaster management content using a keyword retrieval function. A user who registers an account can post disaster management content, create a first screen that is customized using the “favorite function,” and compile different disaster management content using the “binder function.” In addition to the “relay (hub) function” for disaster management content, a “creation function” was also implemented, such as the “message function” for posting short messages of approximately 200 letters and an image, and the “quiz creation function” for measuring the effects of disaster management literacy. In the course of modifying the prototype Disaster Management Literacy Hub, the system was evaluated by university student users in July 2016, approximately one year after the fully-fledged operation came into effect in August 2015. The results yielded the following findings: 1) the DMLH is meaningful because by using specific keywords, users retrieved items that had been difficult to find by means of general Internet search sites; 2) statistically significant improvement was shown for 15 disaster management literacy items in the evaluation; the DMLH leads to a proposal to create effective disaster management literacy improvement because students recognized three disaster management literacy categories: cases of disasters and disaster management, responses of familiar agents such as themselves and people to one, and responses of agents in the environment, including local communities and governments.

This study reviews the current situation and problems in disaster management education in schools in Japan, proposes systematic programs for elementary and junior high school students, and the proposed programs are verified and evaluated in different schools. The programs aim to educate the students of the correct knowledge on various natural disasters and enhance their capacities to forecast and avoid the risks on their own initiatives. The programs have an advantage that it can be implemented by teachers who can practice disaster management education in the ordinary learning process for elementary and junior high school students in schools; disaster management specialists are not needed for its implementation. Prior to the development of the programs, an awareness survey was conducted to both elementary and junior high school students and teachers regarding their level of “consciousness of the crisis of school safety caused by natural disasters, among others.” The results of the survey revealed that “the disaster management education based on earthquake disaster is effective for students and teachers as a starting point of the learning, since they have already experienced an earthquake and a disaster drill targeting earthquake in their lives.” Thus, the proposed education programs have been designed that earthquake and other natural hazards disaster management education are practiced not separately but jointly to foster children’s “zest for life” at a time of natural disasters. The proposed two programs correspond to earthquake and tornado, and each program consists of three parts. The teaching materials, such as the proposed guidance and worksheet, have been prepared using editable files to allow teachers to edit the content by themselves. A survey method based on the ADDIE process of instructional design is adopted. In the ADDIE process, effectiveness of the proposed education programs is measured through the students’ self-assessment on the extent to which the programs’ learning objectives have been attained. Consequently, the proposed programs are evaluated by measuring the degree of attainment several times: before, during, and after the implementations. As a result of the evaluation, the earthquake and tornado disaster management education programs proved to be highly effective for education. Findings also proved that the knowledge acquired and capabilities improved through the proposed programs can be maintained by repeating the practice of the programs. In carrying out this study, cooperation with disaster prevention organizations and educational institutions was indispensable. To further realize such cooperation, this study proposes that the specific educational institutions, Prefectural Board of Education, Municipal Board of Education, and model schools that are willing to implement the programs must cooperate with one another.

<p>We developed the volcanic disaster management education program to enhance "Zest for Lives" of children based on ADDIE process of Instructional Design. First, we conducted disaster awareness survey to elementary or junior high school students and their parents who live in volcanic hazardous area. We found that they learned only the knowledge of the volcano as a natural phenomenon in school or home, on the other hand, they shorted in knowledge of the corresponding action to protect themselves to volcanic disaster. Second, we developed and practiced the program at schools located in volcanic hazardous area and non-hazardous area. Then, we examined the effectivity and applicability of the program to children in schools. We set the learning objectives of the program: 1) to understand the volcano as a natural phenomenon, 2) to understand the damage and influence of volcanic disaster to residential area using volcanic hazard map, 3) to learn the corresponding action to protect themselves at the time of volcanic explosion.</p>

Although the importance of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has been recognized internationally as exemplified by the UN World Conference on DRR, funding for emergency relief teams and relief supplies accounts for approximately 66% of the total amount paid for emergency management as a part of international cooperation. Stable economic development requires improvement of DRR and also the mitigation of damage. This paper: 1. Identifies the challenges for enhancing the capacity for emergency management in China; and 2. Examines methods of development cooperation that could help to resolve the above-mentioned challenges. The challenges in China have been brought to light through the Project “Japan-China Cooperation Plan of Earthquake First-Aid Capacity Training” to enhance capacity for earthquake emergency management under JICA’s Technical Cooperation. The timeline analysis for emergency management and after action review were used to assess the China’s emergency management framework and systems. The system and framework of China were also examined by comparing international systems and frameworks such as ISO22320, Japanese DRR system and the United States system. Based on this, curriculum and texts were developed for the National Earthquake Response Support Service (NERSS) to train the personnel engages in earthquake riskmanagement in China. Guidance curricula were developed for the beginners and the intermediate user, which effectiveness was verified by instructional design.

In this study, according to Addie process of instructional design, we developed the tornado disaster management education program to enhance "Zest for Lives" of children, based on the knowledge and lessons learned from damage and disaster response of the affected schools in tornado disaster that occurred in Tochigi and Saitama Prefecture. We practiced the program at tornado-affected or non-affected schools and examined the effectivity and applicability of the program to children in outside affected schools. The learning objectives of the program are 1) to understand the tornado as a natural phenomenon and precursory phenomena and to learn the corresponding behavior at the time of tornadoes approaching and 2) to correctly act on the appropriate decision when you quickly recognize the tornado occurrence: "package of decision-making process to tornado disaster".

Based on the author’s work experiences at the Kobe City fire department, this study examines the deaths directly and indirectly caused by earthquakes based on an examination of the firefighting, rescue, and emergency care operations that took place following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. In particular, this study examines the ways in which the voluntary disaster-prevention organizations as well as the public services institutions, including the fire and police departments, have incorporated the lessons learned from previous disaster experiences. This approach is based on an observation of the operations conducted in Kobe City, and presents a framework aimed toward protecting lives from future earthquake disasters.

<p>We conducted a random sampled questionnaire survey of disaster victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake Disaster. We clarified victims' situation and problems of sixteenth year in life recovery process. We set the "recovery follow-up phase" as the sixth stage in life recovery process. We analyzed changing of victims residence, victims awareness and life recovery feeling, life recovery process using life recovery calendar method and attaching the meaning to disaster experience. As a result, for victims of the fully damaged houses or independent business men,we found that they need follow-up recovery aides in more than ten years after earthquake.</p>

Although over three years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, it is estimated that there remain approximately 135,000 evacuees from the nuclear power plant accident, 81,000 of whom had been living in areas under evacuation orders and 54,000 of whom had been living outside these areas (i.e., voluntary evacuees). However, the lived experience of such voluntary evacuees has been uncertain, as it is not possible to identify them. Consequently, it has not been possible to clarify the anxieties they harbor as they continue their extended existence as evacuees or to determine the issues they face in reconstructing their lives, making it difficult to extend suitable assistance measures. In this study, we worked with NHK to conduct a survey of voluntary evacuees. A list of interviewees compiled by NHK reporters was used to survey voluntary evacuees, who are difficult to identify. By analyzing the collected cases, we examined issues faced by “voluntary evacuees.” The results showed that the majority of the voluntary evacuees in this survey were mothers who had evacuated with their young children (but without their spouses) and who felt that they had had to evacuate due to anxieties about the effects of radiation exposure on their children’s growth. They tended to feel that it was difficult to return to their former areas of residence and that they had no choice except to continue living as evacuees. Furthermore, there were cases in which couples that had previously been living together had separated for reasons of work or place of occupation and had been forced into situations where they were obliged to economically support two households, with adverse effects on their budgets, minds, and bodies. In addition, the nuclear power plant accidentmade it difficult for them to decide where to base themselves in the future; in some cases, evacuees returned to their pre-disaster areas of residence only to evacuate again. Against the designation “voluntary,” the voluntary evacuees in this survey lived under circumstances in which they felt that they had had no choice but to evacuate; in enduring the difficulties of evacuation, they did not feel they had acted according to their voluntary will. This points to the need to implement effective assistance.

We investigated psychological adaptation to the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, using surveys conducted in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2011. Respondents whose houses were damaged reported lower life satisfaction, more negative affect, and more health problems than those who did not suffer any damage in all surveys, including in 2011, or 16. years after the earthquake. Likewise, residents with at least one immediate family member who died in the earthquake reported lower life satisfaction, more negative affect, and more health problems than those who did not have any immediate family members killed in all surveys, including in 2011. Surprisingly, the effect of housing damage on subjective well-being remained significant, above and beyond human loss. Equally important, the 2011 survey data showed that pre-existing differences in socioeconomic status between the victims of housing damage and human loss did not change our main findings.

Responses to medium-magnitude earthquakes are as significant as to catastrophic earthquakes, because medium-magnitude temblors occur as many as a dozen times more than catastrophic earthquakes – at least from the year 1900. In China, local governments are obligated to protect residents against earthquakes that have a magnitude of Ms6.0. The ways in which local governments performthese obligations differ, however, due to obstacles such as inadequate disaster planning, a lack of public earthquake awareness, and a shortage of qualified emergency managers. When an earthquake hits, the hazards that residents are unaware of may arise concurrently, putting thousands lives and millions of acres of property in danger. In short, the response capacity of local governments is crucial to an earthquake’s aftermath.To enhance the capacity of local government response to earthquake emergencies, the National Earthquake Response Support Service (NERSS) of China started work on training programs years ago. With the cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japanese scientists in the last five years, based on lessons learned fromChina’s historical earthquakes and disasters, the authors have created the prototype for an earthquake disaster management curriculum, which it has then been demonstrated and continuously improved. This paper reviews the prototype curriculum and its development methodology, presents emonstrative deliveries of the curriculum, and discusses training effectiveness and further improvements. Applying an international emergency management framework and related experience, focusing on local government capacity building, the demonstrative trainings have been proved to be beneficial to local government response activities and the latest amendment to earthquake preplanning in China. Future systematic tracking research of training effectiveness is proposed to keep curriculum updating and appropriate as times change.

Emergency management personnel must handle many jobs in response to a large earthquake – and this means they must be trained properly. Training is done many ways. In undergoing training, emergency management personnel build their abilities in making appropriate decisions. Traditional emergency management exercises had participants analyze and discuss their duties based more on the printed word than on computer use. Such exercises cannot provide more true disaster background information. These exercises process cannot be recorded in computer database for later review. One strategy for enhancing the immersive exercise experience is using virtual reality simulation technology to build Web-based exercises in emergency earthquake management. In this paper, we present an empirical study on how emergency earthquake exercises are used to design and conduct emergency exercises in JICA-designed emergency earthquake and rescue exchanges between China and Japan. We detail how exercises were designed and done, highlighting immersive aspects. All exercises involved the analysis of computer recordings of each exercise, statements from participants and observations by teachers during exercises. Results indicate that participants can immerse themselves in computer-centered exercises and imagine what it is like to actually be handling that emergency. We found these exercises to be effective in developing participants’ abilities to operate in disaster management and suitable for application to emergency earthquake response exercises on all levels of government in China.