Japan and Natural Disasters: Prevention and Risk Management

By Jean-Francois Heimburger

Japan is one of those countries most often affected by powerful natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, heavy rains, heavy snowfall, tornadoes, etc. The Archipelago is considered a very advanced country in terms of forecasting, prevention and management of natural disasters. A detailed analysis of the reality of recent years is however necessary. In the run-up to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, among others, a publication on the subject will inform a large number of people wanting to know more about the risks of natural disasters in Japan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wiley
• Release date: Oct 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781119549796

Book preview

Table of Contents

Cover

Foreword

Introduction

Part 1: Hazards, Risks and Disasters

1 From Hazard to Disaster

1.1. Hazard, vulnerability and risk

1.2. Disaster

2 Earth and Fire

2.1. Earthquakes

2.2. Volcanoes

3 Air and Water

3.1. Strong winds

3.2. Rainfall and snowfall

3.3. Heat waves

Part 2: Risk Management

4 Disaster Prevention

4.1. Concepts related to disaster prevention

4.2. Laws, plans and budgets

4.3. Business continuity plans

5 Risk Mitigation

5.1. Hazard-proof buildings and residences

5.2. Securing critical infrastructure

5.3. The battle against fires

5.4. The fight against flooding

5.5. The fight against mass movements

5.6. The fight against heat islands

5.7. The safety of nuclear power plants

6 Disaster Preparedness

6.1. Prevention maps and signage

6.2. Protection measures and storage

6.3. Training, exercises and commemorations

6.4. Risk awareness

7 Prediction, Monitoring, Warning and Preventive Evacuation

7.1. Long-term forecasting

7.2. Monitoring and short-term forecasting

7.3. Warnings

7.4. Preventive evacuation

Part 3: Disaster Management

8 Crisis Management

8.1. Mobilization of the authorities

8.2. Mobilization of residents

8.3. The circulation of information

8.4. Evacuation

9 Restoration and Reconstruction

9.1. Rebuilding the lives of disaster victims

9.2. Restoration and reconstruction of infrastructure

9.3. Demographic and economic development

9.4. Political consequences

9.5. Memory

Conclusion

Appendix: Natural Disasters from 1950 to 2016

References

Index

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

2 Earth and Fire

Table 2.1. Characteristics of the ten degrees of intensity of the Japanese scale according to the Japan Meteorological Agency

Table 2.2. Categories of tsunamis according to their scale

Table 2.3. List of tsunamis that have caused at least 100 deaths since the end of the 19th Century

5 Risk Mitigation

Table 5.1. Volcanic phenomena and the maximum range of their impact

7 Prediction, Monitoring, Warning and Preventive Evacuation

Table 7.1. Classification of the 50 active volcanoes requiring continuous monitoring by the Japan Meteorological Agency

Table 7.2. Volcanic warnings and alert levels (since 2007) according to the Japan Meteorological Agency

Table 7.3. Danger level according to the water level

Table 7.4. History of the broadcast of emergency warnings since 2013

Table 7.5. Evacuation information according to the sediment-related disaster risk broadcast by the Japan Meteorological Agency since July 2017

9 Restoration and Reconstruction

Table 9.1. Comparison of the restoration situation of high-speed lines depending on the earthquake

Table 9.2. Change in the number of overnight stays by foreigners from 2010 to 2016

Appendix: Natural Disasters from 1950 to 2016

Table A.1. Natural disasters from 1950 to 2016

List of Illustrations

Introduction

Figure I.1. Japanese regions and prefectures. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure I.2. Japanese cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

2 Earth and Fire

Figure 2.1. Frequency of earthquakes with an intensity equal or more than the sixth degree by prefecture from 1923 to 2016. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 2.2. The volcano Sakurajima facing the large city of Kagoshima (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 2.3. Active volcanoes under continuous monitoring, areas 155 km around each volcano and cities of more than 500,000 inhabitants. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 2.4. Figurines made from ash representing the bear Kumamon, near the summit of the volcano Aso (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 2.5. Explosive rolls for sale in a bakery in Unzen (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

3 Air and Water

Figure 3.1. Frequency of passage of typhoons by prefecture from 1951 to 2016. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 3.2. Density of mass movements by prefecture from 2000 to 2016. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 3.3. Number of days with thunderstorms in a year, on average, from 2000 to 2016. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 3.4. Snow accumulation during a year, on average, from 2000 to 2016. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 3.5. Annual number of victims according to type of hazard from 1990 to 2016. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

4 Disaster Prevention

Figure 4.1. Damage caused by the Ise Bay typhoon in 1959 (photograph courtesy of Nagoya Municipal Minato Disaster Prevention Center)

Figure 4.2. Evolution of the national budget dedicated to disaster prevention and percentage of the total budget from 1963 to 2016. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

5 Risk Mitigation

Figure 5.1. The Nakanoshima Festival Tower East in Osaka, which benefits from seismic base isolation between the 8th and 9th floors (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.2. The Tokyo Skytree Tower, built following specific paraseismic standards (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.3. Utility poles on the ground in the Higashi-Nada ward, in Kobe on January 17, 1995 (Photograph courtesy of Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution of Kobe). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.4. Gas reservoirs surrounded by buildings in the city of Kobe (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.5. Anti-derailment system installed on the Tokaido high-speed line (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.6. Anti-derailment system installed on the Sanyo high-speed line (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.7. Fire in the Nada ward in Kobe, on January 17, 1995, right after the earthquake (Photograph courtesy of the city of Kobe). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.8. Rikuko gate and kyoheki wall along the Shirinashi River in Osaka (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.9. Closing the suimon gate on the Shirinashi River in Osaka (photos by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.10. Dike of tetrapods in a port in the Wakayama Prefecture (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.11. Subway entrance in Nagoya, located below sea level and equipped with a watertight door (left) (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.12. Helping to reduce the heat island phenomenon in the city of Osaka with a rooftop vegetable garden (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 5.13. Collective watering of a street in Tokyo during a hot summer afternoon (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

6 Disaster Preparedness

Figure 6.1. Sign showing the height of the land compared to sea level in a neighborhood in Kagoshima (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 6.2. Sign showing the height of past floods and the level of the Arakawa River in real time, installed in front of city hall in the Edogawa District in Tokyo, introduced on April 10, 2009 (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 6.3. Theoretical exercise during the disaster prevention seminar organized in 2015 at the Heijô-nishi secondary school in Nara (photo by Jean-François Heimburger)

Figure 6.4. Room simulating an earthquake with an intensity of 10 out of 10, located at the Nagoya Municipal Minato Disaster Prevention Center (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 6.5. Homes destroyed by debris flows in August 1992 following the eruptions of Mount Unzen are preserved in Shimabara (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

7 Prediction, Monitoring, Warning and Preventive Evacuation

Figure 7.1. Amount of rain in 24 hours which recurs every 30 years. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 7.2. Sign showing the height of the Ogi River in Nagoya. An alarm sounds automatically when the river reaches one of the two white stripes painted on the dike (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 7.3. One of the 33 concrete shelters built on the Sakurajima volcano (photo by Jean-François Heimburger)

Figure 7.4. Prayer area in the Mitake sanctuary, located at the summit Kengamine on the Ontake volcano, and damage following the eruption of September 27, 2014 (Photograph courtesy of Teruki Oikawa)

8 Crisis Management

Figure 8.1. Firefighters, police officers and the Self-Defense Force members conducting a search operation in Hiroshima following the mass movement of 2014 (photograph courtesy of the Ground Self-Defense Force website). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 8.2. Rescue operation with an Air Self-Defense Force helicopter on July 7, 2017, following the heavy rains in the north of Kyushu (photograph courtesy of the Ground Self-Defense Force website). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 8.3. Distribution of water to disaster victims four days after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami (photograph courtesy of the Ground Self-Defense Force website). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 8.4. Under the Ginza Kabuki Theater in Tokyo, merchants pack up their stalls every night to transform the space, which is connected to the Higashi-Ginza Station, into a temporary shelter (photos by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

9 Restoration and Reconstruction

Figure 9.1. Temporary emergency housing in Takarazuka (February 7, 1995) (photograph courtesy of Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 9.2. Message of encouragement in the city of Kumamoto 3 months after the earthquakes of April 2016 (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 9.3. One of the 6,860 ash collection spots in Kagoshima (photo by Jean-François Heimburger). For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

Figure 9.4. Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution in Kobe (photo by Jean-François Heimburger)

Japan and Natural Disasters

Prevention and Risk Management

Jean-François Heimburger

First published 2018 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licenses issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned address:

ISTE Ltd

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UK

www.iste.co.uk

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Hoboken, NJ 07030

USA

www.wiley.com

© ISTE Ltd 2018

The rights of Jean-François Heimburger to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018951290

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-78630-370-7

Foreword

A legend tells of an enormous dragon that sleeps underneath Asia. When it moves, it causes earthquakes and its mouth of fire, located directly under Japan, is the source of volcanoes. In other versions, the creature is a catfish. Whatever it is, Asia regularly faces the anger of the Earth. This is especially true for Japan: with deadly earthquakes in Kanto in 1923 and Kobe in 1995, catastrophic eruptions of Asama and Unzen, and a devastating tsunami (a Japanese word) in 2011.

Jean-François Heimburger is a great Japan specialist and his articles constitute so many benchmarks. His interest in natural risks has brought us closer together.

In this book, he offers us a new document, clearly illustrated, original and very thorough, regarding, in all of its aspects, Japan’s challenge in the face of natural disasters, whether their origin is telluric (volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.), meteorological (typhoons, snowfalls, etc.) or even mixed (instabilities). For each case, he explains the situation by providing specific examples and statistical data, and he considers forecasts, warnings, evacuation and prevention, as well as crisis management, emergency preparedness, reconstruction, education and the role of the media in the context of laws and regulations, particularly in urban areas. He does not ignore the positive aspects (fertility, geothermics) of this unusual geological situation at the meeting of four tectonic plates.

The result is a perfectly realized clarification of the facts, stakes, forecasts and societies in Japan, a country at the forefront of scientific and technological progress whose example could be (must be) followed.

Jacques-Marie BARDINTZEFF

Volcanologist and Professor at the University of Paris-Sud, Orsay

Acknowledgments

The author would like to express his sincere thanks to Yukie Nakao, for her help in understanding certain Japanese texts and for her patience during his field investigations. He also expresses appreciation for the many Japanese specialists, officials and business leaders who agreed to answer his questions, during interviews or by correspondence. His gratitude also goes to Hirohisa Fujita for his illuminating visit to the city of Nagoya, which is his hometown. Finally, he would like to thank the different organizations which have allowed him to publish their photographs.

Introduction

On Thursday, April 14, 2016, at 9:26 p.m., a foreshock with a magnitude of 6.5 occurred in Kumamoto, at the center of the southern island of Kyushu. The shocks were powerful within a radius of 60 kilometers around the epicenter. The small town of Mashiki was the most violently affected since the seismic intensity there reached the tenth and final level of the Japanese scale. In other words, it was impossible to stand upright, furniture was thrown around and concrete walls collapsed. This intensity had previously been measured during earthquakes in eastern Japan in March 2011, in Niigata in October 2004 and Kobe (Hanshin-Awaji) in January 1995.

On Saturday, April 16 at 1:25 a.m., the main shock, with a magnitude of 7.3, occurred in the same zone, in Kumamoto. The maximum degree of intensity was measured in two locations: in Mashiki once again and in the town of Nishihara. This time the violent shocks covered a surface that was twice as large.

These earthquakes became disasters because they caused very significant damage. A total of 50 people lost their lives in the earthquake and 197 other victims would die later, indirectly. Added to this toll were more than 2,700 wounded, of which 40% were gravely injured [FDM 17a]. The impact of these earthquakes on Kumamoto’s economy was estimated at 3,785 billion yen, which was more than half of the prefecture’s GDP [SAN 16b]. The damage mainly involved housing, with more than 8,600 homes having been completely destroyed. The cancellation of hundreds of thousands of reservations jeopardized the tourism industry, while production was suspended in the automobile, electronic equipment and agri-food sectors.

The damage also affected public infrastructure, agriculture and cultural properties, as well as waste disposal facilities.

Figure I.1. Japanese regions and prefectures. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

One word appeared repeatedly in the mouths of administrative officials and disaster victims: sôteigai (outside the imagination). In other words, the event revealed once again the inadequacy of preparations for facing a disaster, with a number of people thinking they were safe from natural phenomena. This situation had, for example, already been observed in January 1995 as well as in March 2011, and would be observed again later in July 2017 during the heavy rains in Kyushu which left at least 37 dead [FDM 17b].

Life in the archipelago is not a long peaceful river for its 127 million inhabitants, who are spread out over 423 islands, primarily in the plains of the four largest ones which are, from north to south, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. It is a sign of the frequency of major natural phenomena and the extent of their consequences in Japan that 14 terms related to disasters have been included in the annual rankings of 10 significant words and expressions since 1990¹. Among them are notably kasairyû (pyroclastic flow) in 1991, in reference to the deadly eruption of Mount Unzen-Fugendake, anzen shinwa (safety myth) in 1995, following the devastating earthquake in Kobe, and the 3.11 earthquake in 2011, indication of the month and day of the earthquake and of the tsunami that devastated the east of the country.

Over the centuries, the Japanese have had to adapt to and prepare for these violent manifestations of nature, so much so that that today they seem on the cutting edge of risk prevention and disaster management. However, behind this image is hidden a more nuanced reality. Today, it is up to Japan, which will unfortunately experience new disasters, some of which will be major, to meet a series of challenges to limit the scope of the damage to come.

Figure I.2. Japanese cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants. For a color version of this figure, see www.iste.co.uk/heimburger/japan.zip

1 Annual ranking established in 1984 by the Japanese magazine The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words.

Part 1

Hazards, Risks and Disasters

1

From Hazard to Disaster

Even if we can’t say that earthquakes, tsunamis or typhoons don’t happen in other Western countries, it is rare that they happen so frequently and cause as much damage as in Japan. […] But it is necessary to consider something which is always forgotten: the intensity of disasters caused by violence of nature becomes stronger as civilization advances.¹ [TER 11, pp. 11–12]²

Japan is not just a group of islands. It is also an archipelago of natural hazards on which is constructed a society that, over the course of its development, has increased its exposure to disaster risks. Before presenting the different phenomena which regularly affect the country, as well as their human and material consequences, it is necessary to first review the meaning of several key words and their equivalents in the Japanese language.

1.1. Hazard, vulnerability and risk

In the natural domain, a hazard is defined as an event which can occur and cause damage to people and developments as well as to the environment. Although there is no exact translation of this word in Japanese, the term that comes closest is shizen genshô (自然現象, natural phenomenon). Hazâdo, taken from the English word hazard, is not used in this sense except in hazâdo mappu (ハザードマップ, hazard map, danger map).

Vulnerability refers to the level of predictable consequences of a phenomenon on society. The equivalent Japanese term is zeijakusei (脆弱性), which indicates a fragile and weak character.

Risk is the result of the combination between hazard and vulnerability. The closest Japanese terms are kikensei (危険性, dangerousness) as well as the Anglicism risuku (リスク, risk), present in expressions such as saigai risuku (災害リスク, disaster risk) at least since the beginning of the 2000s³. The latter term is being used more and more, including by local governments or by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

1.2. Disaster

The word disaster, which in the current modern sense refers to an unfortunate event that is abrupt in origin and with numerous victims, has an exact equivalent in Japanese, namely saigai (災害, disaster), defined as a misfortune which arrives in an unexpected way, such as a natural disaster, a fire or an accident [REY 10, SHÔ 01]. The term saigai is made up of two ideograms. The first and more important uses a dam (巛) on top and fire (火) below, together signifying a large fire disrupting a comfortable life. Here, the dam has a negative meaning, since it is not able to prevent flooding, but to keep life from going