Part II: 14:15 – 17:20

Disaster recovery support from scientiﬁc/academic perspectives
1. Disaster Safety and Human Health
14:15 Professor Satoru Oishi, Kobe University“Research and Education for Developing Resilient Society against
Mega Disaster in Kobe University”

14:40 Professor Satoshi Takada, Kobe University“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders and Mental Health Care
(Lessons Learned from The Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Kobe, 1995)”

2. Regional sustainability and industrial recovery
15:05 Professor Masahiko Fujimoto, Tohoku University“What should we do in order to reconstruct regional economy fromgreat disaster as a university located at the center of the affected area?”

15:30 Mr Katsumi Hirabayashi, photographer“what I have witnessed in Tohoku as a photographer”- Cofee Break - 15:45 - 16:00
3. Panel discussion: 16:00 - 17:20
Speakers from 1 & 2Professor Hormoz Modaressi, BRGMMr Pierre Jean Coulon, European Economic and Social Committee

In the afternoon session, we had four presentations. The ﬁrst presentation, made by Prof Oishi, introduced the activity of theResearch Center for Urban Safety and Security in Kobe University. He introduced a class, volunteer activities, and research
regarding Tohoku. The second presentation, made by Prof Takada, introduced the research results of a study into children’sPTSD and the difﬁculties faced by handicapped children and their parents. The third presentation was made by Prof Fujimoto,who talked about regional industry, especially medium- and small-sized companies. It was argued that their lack of innovation
made it difﬁcult for these companies to get out of structural recession. Finally, the photographer Mr Hirabayashi related histhoughts through his photographs. He stressed that despite there being many ideas for regeneration for Tohoku’s devastatedareas, none have been implemented. In the discussion session which followed we shared our ideas concerning the structuralproblems preventing substantive progress from being made, like the shortage of administrative personnel, gap between
victims, too many different sources of support being arranged and accepted by devastated areas. The audience was asked
to consider the definition of “resilience”; it was eventually defined as the society of self-recovery. Finally, we talked about
the missing people and how their families are still having difﬁculty accepting the inevitable. We concluded that a common
administrative procedure is fundamental to the recovery of such individuals.

9Satoshi Takada

Satoru Oishi

Professor
Graduate School of Health Sciences
Kobe University

Professor
Research Center for Urban Safety and Security
Kobe University“Research and Education for Developing
Resilient Society against Mega Disaster inKobe University”“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders and Mental
Health Care (Lessons Learned from The
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Kobe, 1995)”

The Research Center for Urban
Safety and Security (RCUSS)The Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake
occurred in 1995. After thewas established on May 11,
1996, almost one year after
the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earth-earthquake we conducted twosurveys consisting of approximately 8,000 families with pre-quake. RCUSS contributes toensure safe and secure urban
society by conducting researchand education based on scientific methodologies
and academic frameworks that has a vision towards
the resilient society. Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJET) happened in March2011 reminded us of our original mission and wehave conducted a lot of surveys and supporting activities not only for people suffered by the GEJET
but also for citizens all over Japan.
Generally, Japan is very disaster prone country. We
have many kinds of natural disaster in our history.
However, the most important source of disaster isthe fact that people tend to forget disaster. Forgetting is very natural healing system for each person.

school aged children and 466
families with disabled children.
Symptoms related to PTSD
were found more frequently in the small children
whose houses had been severely damaged one
year after the earthquake. Although the symptoms
decreased, they were still present more frequentlyin the children and their mothers with severely damaged homes in 1998. Children with intellectual oremotional disabilities displayed many behavioralproblems, while the physically disabled children
required medical resources. Both groups voiced
concern for the need to set up specialized facilities
to cater for the people disability. Specialized support
in a structured environment is necessary for disabled children. Since the Central Java Earthquake

But we have to prevent the society from forgetting
disasters for making resilient society against Mega

occurred in 2006, we have engaged in “childrenhouse” activity in the disaster stricken area in col-disaster.
In the symposium, the educational activities in Kobe
University including lectures of Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake, volunteer activity in conjunction withlaboration with Gadjah Mada University. Throughthis activity, we have been able to share what works
in helping children with disabilities and their families.
The Great East Japan Earthquake has moved into

the disaster, international risk management program
are talked. It is followed by recent research activities

the recovery phase. This exchange of information
among the disaster stricken areas reduces the psy-related with natural disasters by using cutting edge
science and technology. Finally, academic activities
connected with municipal governments and citizens
are introduced. Though introducing topics, we canchological damage of the children and aids in therecovery process.
Key words
Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, Great East Japan Earth-share the idea to develop resilient society against
Mega disaster.

quake, Central Java Earthquake, PTSD, Pre-school
aged children, Children with disabilities

10Masahiko Fujimoto

Katsumi Hirabayashi

Director
Regional Innovation Research Center
Tohoku University

photographer“what I have witnessed in Tohoku as aphotographer”“What should we do in order to reconstructregional economy from great disaster as auniversity located at the center of the affectedarea?”K a t s u m i H I R A B AYA S H I i s
a commercial photographer
based in Tokyo, Japan. Following the Great East Japan
earthquake, Katsumi personally

Two years has passed since theGreat East Japan Earthquake.

witnessed the damage caused
to the Tohoku region and began
to help as a volunteer. Since

The incident was a complex ofhigh intensity ground shaking, amassive tsunami and a serious
nuclear power plant accident
and the scale of the disasterwas unprecedented in the history of Japan. The toll of dead and missing stands
at 18,579 today, of which over 90% is estimated tohave drowned by the tsunami. Many people evacuated from Fukushima prefecture and nearly 60,000
people still live outside the prefecture.
The Tohoku district, including areas most severely
affected by the tsunami and nuclear power accident,
was facing structural problems such as aging ofpopulation, depopulation and decrease in numberof jobs and the Great East Japan Earthquake madematters worse. We have to tackle these difficult
problems in order to reconstruct regional social andeconomic situation.

then he has visited the affected region more than 30
times to capture the reconstruction efforts in Japan.
He has successfully held the photo exposition “Dawnin Japan” in Tokyo(Ginza), Kobe and Okayama.

This time, we intend to introduce what and how weare doing in the Tohoku district as a university located at the center of the affected area.

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