Efforts in Japan to develop memory preservation, infrastructure reinforcement, and community involvement have helped to build more resilient societies in responding to disasters. As countries in the Indo-Pacific continue to grapple with climate and disaster events, the lessons learned in Japan provide a framework for preparing for an effective response. 

Being a hotbed for disasters and climate-related hazards, the Indo-Pacific region continues to battle the immediate and long-term impacts of increasingly devastating disasters. Thus, there’s a need not only for investments and resources in disaster risk reduction but also for robust cooperation and collaboration among countries, DRR actors, and communities in the region on disaster resilience.

This has been one of our key realisations as we have recently begun our journey as new members of the Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network (ICPN) with a study and research trip to Japan in July. IPCN is a network of professionals from Indo-Pacific nations focused on researching and recommending policies for regional cooperation in the region. The network was established by the Australian Institute of International Affairs and the Japan Foundation in 2023.

Located at the tectonic plate boundaries, Japan is exposed to disaster risks such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis, like many countries in the region. In the last 30 years, two mega earthquakes hit Japan: the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture on 17 January 1995, which claimed more than 6,300 lives, and the Great East Japan Earthquake, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that triggered a 40-meter tsunami in the Tohoku region on 11 March 2011, which claimed almost 20,000 lives.

The horrendous wrath of the 1995 and 2011 earthquakes may have ravaged lives, properties, economies, and communities, but Japanese locals wouldn’t let that hinder their future. What did Japan do? They learned from their mistakes and weaknesses and used the learnings to reinforce Japan’s way of building a resilient society to natural disasters or bosai—a new Japanese term.

Here are some resilience lessons we gained during our visit to disaster zones and our discussions with local government officials, community leaders, civil society, and scholars in Tohoku Region, Kobe City, and Tokyo.

Passing disaster memories to the next generation

“Disaster strikes when you least expect it” are the words of Japanese physicist Torahiko Terada. The Japanese people are aware of the risks right after a disaster strikes, but it is pretty challenging to sustain their attention, especially when extremely devastating disasters—such as the 1995 and 2011 earthquakes—are unpredictable and hit years apart. These factors cause people to be caught off guard from disasters. So, communities needed a system to transfer disaster memories to other communities and future generations effectively.

This has been one of Japan’s priorities in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in recent years. One great example is the Disaster Risk Reduction and Human Renovation Center in Kobe City, which was designed to showcase not only facts but also the narratives and emotions of disaster survivors through interactive displays, videos, and games. Likewise, the Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial in Minamisanriku City provides a unique learning program where participants can watch interactive videos of survivors sharing their first-hand experiences and reflections with museum visitors. More than 200,000 domestic and international visitors have experienced and learned from the showcase to date.

Mass relocation and resilient infrastructure

The surrounding areas of the Minamisanriku 3.11 Memorial are now almost empty. Before the Great East Japan Earthquake, the place was the vibrant center of Minamisanriku City. After the catastrophe, the residents had to make a difficult choice: reconstruct the city again to its original state and continue living under the constant threat of tsunamis or relocate to a safer but unfamiliar area.

After a lengthy discussion about the reconstruction project, the communities and government reached a consensus to ban building houses near coastal areas and relocate residents to higher grounds such as mountainous areas. Although relocation is a practical way to avoid disaster risks, it is still an unpopular choice for communities because of financial burdens and emotional connection to their lands. However, considering the increasing frequency and magnitude of disasters, mass relocation may become a more popular option for other regions, too.

What’s more striking is the local government’s admittance of their mistakes and shortcomings in DRR that led to unprecedented damage and impacts to communities during past disasters. It is often the case that some leaders in other parts of the world pass on the blame to others when the systems in place fail. Japan’s local governments have been more noble and accountable in their duty to the public. This essential trait has been crucial in improving and advancing the country’s DRR.

Learning from past deadly disasters, the Japanese government has prioritised building more infrastructure that can save more lives during emergencies. In Ishinomaki City, where the 2011 earthquake claimed at least 3,548 lives, tsunami evacuation towers were strategically built in coastal areas to prevent casualties in future disasters. Equipped with emergency food and supplies as well as a helipad rooftop, each three-story tower was designed to shelter and sustain the lives of 200 people for at least three days if a strong earthquake and tsunami strike again in the future. Emergency infrastructure development is complemented by routine disaster awareness and education campaigns.

Community building for preparedness and quick recovery

Another notable characteristic of Japan’s disaster recovery efforts is its holistic approach. Rehabilitation projects in disaster-ravaged communities, particularly infrastructure, are commonly people-centric which do not only focus on economic gains but also the promotion of health and the wellbeing of survivors.

In Ishinomaki, for instance, a coastal area once wiped out by the 2011 earthquake was transformed into a green space where a museum, restaurant, promenade, and disaster memorial parks were built to be enjoyed by both locals and tourists. The rehabilitated space provides various activities for the locals, including art exhibitions, film showing, and other arts and entertainment activities. Local community leaders said that green communal spaces such as this help survivors manage their negative emotions from disasters and promote positive outlook. The project has received several recognitions for its excellence in design.

Social cohesion plays a critical role in disaster preparedness and recovery in Japanese communities. Gonin-gumi is a group system that commanded five-household living in a neighborhood to support each other in the Edo era. Although the system was repealed many years ago, the custom of supporting the community is still deeply rooted in Japanese society. In recent years, an increasing number of communities have been working on making a Community Disaster Management Plan, which aims to empower local communities to strengthen their preparedness and disaster response.

Regional cooperation

Japan’s bosai principle is undeniably more advanced than other nations, but like some of its neighbors in the Indo-Pacific, there’s always room for improvement. If each country’s strengths and weaknesses will be shared and discussed with one another, a multisectoral collaborative space can be formed where everyone can contribute to the advancement of DRR systems across the region. The first step forward is information sharing between nations and sectors.

Mark Daza is a project and communications manager at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and can be reached at mdaza@hsph.harvard.edu 

Daisuke Kageyama is a researcher at Japan’s Public Works Research Institute and can be reached kageyama-d673cn@pwri.go.jp

This article has been republished with permission of the authors. The article first appeared in Rappler and can be found here.