Disaster preparedness, adaptive politics and lifelong learning: a case of Japan

Abstract

and Cover' drills used in the US to instruct children to adopt the 'atomic clutch position' in the event of a nuclear attack and hide under their desks (Grossman, 2001 cited in Preston, 2008, 469). 2 The 2005 DfES publication 'Getting over 7/7' deals with the emotional consequences of past and future terrorist attacks (DfES, 2005 cited in Preston, 2008, 469). 3 The short 'Protect and Survive' films emphasised knowing what to do in the event of hearing an attack warning (Central Office of Information, 1976 cited in Preston, 2008, 469). 4 According to Harvey (2005, 2), neo-liberalism is: 'a theory of political economic practices that proposes that human well-being can best be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills within an 8 The largest possible damage is predicted to be 18,000 fatalities, 360,000 totally collapsed buildings and 370 billion pounds [57 trillion yen] economic damage (Aota et al 2008, 177-178). 9 According to Japan Meteorological Agency (2015), 47 out of the 110 active volcanoes require particular attention for a large-scale eruption. 10 It is the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act originally enacted in 1961 that established the system for disaster management. The act stipulates the Central Disaster Management Council situated within the Cabinet Office to be responsible for the overall disaster management at the national level. The Basic Plan then lays out policies and measures for different disasters and for each disaster cycle, and also clarifies the responsibilities of the central, prefectural and municipal governments, and the general population.

Disaster risk reduction activities as learning

“…Humanism values the totality of human existence as a free person and maximising human potential. There are a few examples (Chadderton 2015;Kitagawa 2016) that relate DRR activities with lifelong learning, which is one of the branches of humanism. Connectivism represents 'digital age learning', which is about how Internet technologies create new opportunities for people to learn and share information (Siemens 2005).…”

Sustaining a Transformative Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy: Grandmothers’ Telling and Singing Tsunami Stories for over 100 Years Saving Lives on Simeulue Island

“…In contrast research indicates that, to be effective, rather than “top down” DRR behaviors need to be embedded into the normal everyday practices of a community [ 25 , 45 , 55 ]. There is evidence that embedded cultural understandings of the environment and hazards together with life-long learning are effective contributors to “resilience” [ 34 , 58 , 59 , 60 ] and where there is a diminished sense of connection with “community”, individuals and families become relatively more vulnerable [ 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ]. Instead, a focus on community leadership and support systems is essential for long-term sustainability in DRR action [ 25 , 57 ].…”

Introduction: Conceptualising the Demography of Disasters

“…Alexander's view is further supported by the recent cultural turn in disaster studies (see Webb 2007, Ekström andKverndokk 2015). Consistent with that paradigm, there are some studies on how communities living in hazard-prone areas have been influenced through their continuous disaster experiences, including in Japan (Bajek et al 2008;Kitagawa 2016) and the Philippines (Bankoff 2003). A cross-cultural study by Paton et al (2010) comparing Japan and New Zealand (two disaster-prone nations) revealed some universal similarities on how hazard beliefs and social characteristics interact despite the fundamental cultural differences between the two countries.…”