Field research with Deputy Director of the UCL IRDR Centre for Gender andDisaster Research (2022/7/18-22)
Themes: disaster area survey, international exchange, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, gender, LGBTQ
Field: Sendai, Otsuchi, Minami Sanriku

July 18-22, 2022, Deputy Director Punam Yadav of the Centre for Gender and Disaster Research at
the Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London (UCL IRDR), visited theIRIDeS and the tsunami affected areas with the IRIDeS faculty. The UCL IRDR Centre for Gender andDisaster Research has been working together with faculty of IRIDeS since its inception, involved incollaborative research including on COVID-19 and socially vulnerable people, including researchsupported by TU/UCL matching funds.
During this joint field study, Dr. Punam Yadav and the IRIDeS faculty visited Miyagi and Iwate
Prefectures in order to deepen our knowledge on women's leadership and disaster management
activities after the Great East Japan Earthquake, women's empowerment after the earthquake, postdisaster situations of women in the affected areas and disaster management planning for LGBTQpeople. The visit was coordinated by Researcher (Specially Appointed) Miwako Kitamura(International Research Collaboration Office), Associate Professor Anawat Suppasri (TsunamiEngineering Lab) and Assoc. Prof. Elizabeth Maly (International Research Collaboration Office).
The group visited the Sendai Centre for Gender Equality to learn more about women's empowerment
and disasters. During the field work, we visited to Minami Sanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture andOtsuchi Town in Iwate Prefecture, and heard how local women’s experiences during and after theGEJE. During the fieldwork, Keiko Abe, proprietress of Minami Sanriku Hotel Kanyo, spoke about
women's leadership, local disaster prevention and revitalisation and gave valuable insights into
disaster recovery and the role of local women. At Kishoji Temple in the Kirikiri area of Otsuchi, wetalked with the head priest and his wife about the role of the temple, and roles women played in themanagement of the evacuation center. We also discusse future analysis and research, in collaboration
with the UCL IRDR Centre for Gender and Disaster Research and the IRIDeS of primary materials atthe temple.
The first workshop between the UCL IRDR Centre for Gender and Disaster Research and the IRIDeS
took place on 21 July, with presentations by Dr. Punam Yadav, Gender and disaster researchers inJapan, researchers working on disability and disasters, and women and LGBTQ support workers
participated in the discussion on inclusive disaster management in the future.
During this visit, Dr Punam Yadav had a lively discussion about future joint research and student
exchanges with Tohoku University Vice-President Toshiya Ueki, Vice-President Masahiro Yamaguchi,
Deputy Director of the International Strategy Office Prof. Akiyoshi Yonezawa, Director Fumihiko
Imamura and Assoc. Prof. Suppasri of IRIDeS. The participants expressed their willingness for furtherresearch on disaster reduction with a specific gender perspective between the Institute and UCL IRDR.
At IRIDeS was also able to obtain funding for a joint research project with NIED and led to discussions
with Assoc. Prof. Erick Mass, a co-researcher on this study, on how data from the Great East Japan
Earthquake use explicitly for LGBTQ and disaster research.
Report: Miwako Kitamura, Elizabeth Maly (International Research Collaboration Office)Anawat Sappasri (Tsunami Engineering Lab)
(continues to the next page)Interview with the owner of theMinami Sanriku Hotel Kanyo

Visiting Kishoji Temple in Kirikiri

Visiting Tohoku University
Head quarters

The first UCL IRDR Centre for
Gender and Disaster Researchand IRIDeS workshop held at
the IRIDeS

Visit to Otsuchi community
Centre with Storyteller(Kataribe)

Collaborative researchmeeting with UCL IRDR
Centre for Gender andDisaster Research andIRIDeS researchers