The Era of Great Disasters

The Era of Great Disasters examines modern disaster response in Japan, from the changing earthquake preparations and regulations, to immediate emergency procedures from the national, prefectural, and city levels, and finally the evolving efforts of rebuilding and preparing for the next great disaster in the hopes of minimizing their tragic effects. This book focuses on three major earthquakes from Japan’s modern history. The first is the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake, which struck the capital region. The second is the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, striking the area between Kobe and Osaka. The third is the 2011 East Japan earthquake, the magnitude 9.0 quake which struck off the Pacific coast of the Tohoku region, causing a devastating tsunami. While the events of (and around) each of these earthquakes are unique, Professor Iokibe brings his deep expertise and personal experience to each disaster, unveiling not only the disasters themselves but the humanity underneath. In each case, he gives attention and gratitude to those who labored to protect and restore the lives affected, from the individuals on the scene to the government and emergency staff, in hope that we might learn from the past and move forward with greater wisdom, knowledge, and community.

IOKIBE Makoto
Iokibe Makoto is chancellor, Prefectural University of Kumamoto and president of the Hyogo Earthquake Memorial 21st Century Research Institute. He is also professor emeritus of Japanese political and diplomatic history, Kobe University and former president, National Defense Academy of Japan.

*information as of time of publication

History

Publisher:
University of Michigan Press

Hardcover
US$75
ISBN 9780472074679
229 mm x 152 mm / 276 pp. / March 2020

Softcover
US$29.95
ISBN 9780472054671
229 mm x 152 mm / 276 pp. / September 2020

eBook
US$25.99
ISBN 9780472127252 (ePub)
January 2020

CONTENTS
Preface to the English Edition
Foreword by Yamazaki Masakazu
Introduction
1. The Great Kantō Earthquake
2. The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake
3. The Great East Japan Earthquake (1): Ground Zero
4. The Great East Japan Earthquake (2): Response by Japanese Society and the Government
5. Living in an Age of Seismic Activity
Afterword
Notes
References
Index

"Included in the University of Michigan Press ‘Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies,' The Era of Great Disasters is a scholarly but highly readable text that investigates Japan’s three major quakes: The Great Kantō Earthquake (Yokohama, 1923), The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (Kobe, 1995) and the Great East Japan Earthquake (Tohoku, 2011). The play-by-play telling of each event, from the first rumbles and unfolding of the disasters to first responders sometimes reads like a thriller complete with insurmountable dilemmas among impeccable timing. The author, himself a victim of the 1995 disaster takes the reader behind the scenes into the Prime Minister’s office and board rooms of government agencies to parse the catastrophes from beginning to end, including recovery efforts and reconstruction of beleaguered cities."

Amy Chavez, May 8, 2020
Books on Asia

活性期に入った日本列島の地震活動。近代以降の三つの大震災―関東、阪神・淡路、東日本を中心に、二〇一六年の熊本地震まで、日本社会の地震に対する歴史性とその問題点を明らかにし、来るべき大災害への対策を提案する。

五百旗頭 真
1943年、兵庫県生まれ。1969年、京都大学大学院修士課程修了。広島大学政経学部助手、講師、助教授、神戸大学大学院法学研究科教授、防衛大学校長を経て、現職。その間、ハーバード大学、ロンドン大学の客員研究員。また、東日本大震災では政府の復興構想会議議長を務めた。現在、熊本県立大学理事長、ひょうご震災記念21世紀研究機構理事長、神戸大学名誉教授、くまもと復旧・復興有識者会議座長。『米国の日本占領政策』(中央公論社)ほか著書多数。日本政治外交史専攻。

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