i-Rec international conference and workshop in Japan (2023/6/1- 4)
Theme: Disaster Reconstruction, Recovery, The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, InternationalSymposium, Community Resilience
Place: IRIDeS, Sendai City, Futaba Town, Namie Town, Ishinomaki City, Onagawa Town

From June 1 - 4, 2023, i-Rec 2023 “Tensions Between Tradition and Innovation in Disaster RiskReduction, Climate Action, and Reconstruction: Reflecting on Tohoku’s Recovery Twelve Years
Later” was held at IRIDeS, including field visits to disaster affected areas. The event was coorganized by i-Rec, the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) of Tohoku
University, Kobe University Research Center for Urban Safety and Security (RCUSS), and theCenter for Resilient Design (CResD), Kobe University. i-Rec (international network for informationand research for reconstruction) is a web-based international network focused on the study ofvulnerability, resilience and reconstruction after disasters: http://www.grif.umontreal.ca/i-Rec.htm.
i-Rec deals with information exchange between its members in order to contribute knowledge
related to building activities in situations of crisis, particularly disasters in developing countries, andholds an international conference every two years. This was the first time that an i-Rec conference
was held in Japan, and twelve years after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, this event
coincides with beginning of the 2nd decade of recovery and reconstruction. Co-chairs of i-Rec 2023
were: Assoc. Prof. Liz Maly (International Research Collaboration Office), Prof. Tamiyo Kondo ofKobe University, and Assist. Prof. Julia Gerster (Disaster Culture and Archive Studies). Over 70
people participated in i-Rec 2023.
Before the academic sessions on June 3 and 4th, participations first joined study visits to disasteraffected areas on June 1 and June 2, to gain a deeper understanding of what happened in theGEJE the process of recovery in the affected areas. Coordinated by Assistant Professor Julia
Gerster (Disaster Culture and Archive Studies), during the tour of areas affected by the nuclear
disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on June 1, the group visited the Fukushima
Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Museum in Futaba Town, Michi no Eki Namie,
and the Remains of Ukedo Elementary School in Namie Town. In addition to learning about theimpacts of the nuclear disaster, and the recovery process, from the exhibits and guides, participantsalso joined a walking tour of Futaba Town and lecture from the representative of F-Atras, a localorganization promoting revitalization in the area.
On June 2, the group visited Ishinomaki and Onagawa, tsunami-affected towns in Miyagi Prefecture.
In Ishinomaki, participants visited the Kadonowaki Elementary School Ruins, and received a lecturefrom the Facility Director Richard Halberstadt, as well as seeing the exhibits. In addition, they also
visited Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Memorial Park and Miyagi Tsunami Memorial Museum,and received guidance from IRIDeS Visiting Researcher Naomi Chiba (Disaster Humanities andSocial Science Division). After stopping in Onagawa to visit the reconstructed shopping arcade, theOnagawa train station, and preserved police box, participants visited the Ogatsu area, and received
an explanation about the recovery process from Mr. Akinari Abe. In addition to seeing the levees
and housing relocation areas, participants also had the chance to make their own coaster using
the traditional Ogatsu slate stone. While many participants were visiting the Tohoku area for the
first time, they actively engaged in wide-ranging discussions of the course of the two-day field visits.
The fieldwork activities in Fukushima and Miyagi allowed participants to observe and learn fromthe resilience and innovative rebuilding approaches adopted by local communities, whichfunctioned as a background orientation to the following days academic programs.
The academic conference was held at IRIDeS, on June 3 and June 4. The conference program on
the first day focused on the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, andreflections on the ongoing recovery from different points of view. After welcoming remarks, in themorning, Prof. Aya Kubota (Graduate School of Engineering, Architecture and Urban Design
Course, Tohoku University) delivered a keynote speech entitled: Searching for Our AutonomyLooking back on Post Great East Japan Earthquake for Social Transformation on Community(continues to the next page)Recovery after 3.11. Afternoon sessions included several panel discussions on different aspects ofrecovery after the GEJE. The First Panel Discussion: “Housing and Life Recovery after 3.11”
included presentations from Architect Mr. Hiroyuki Teshima, and Lawyer and Sendai BarAssociation member Mr. Akihiro Uto, and Assoc. Prof. Haruka Tsukuda (Graduate School ofEngineering, Architecture and Building Science, Tohoku University). The 2nd Panel Discussion:“Disaster and Memory,” included presentations from Prof. Osamu Tsukihashi (Department ofArchitecture, Kobe University, Architects Teehouse, and Lost Homes Project), Assoc. Prof.
Masashige Motoe (Spatial Design Strategies Lab / Architecture and Urban Design Course,Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University), and Assist. Prof. Julia Gerster. Drawing fromobservations from the previous days’ field work, each presentation and panel was followed byextensive discussion, making connections between the situation in Japan, and other disasteraffected countries.
On the last day, June 4, participants presented their academic research papers, in four parallelsessions. In addition to 54 academic papers presented, there was also a special session on genderand disasters “Gender Responsive Resilience and Intersectionality in Policy and Practice(GRRIPP) Roundtable,” which included Researcher (Specially Appointed) Miwako Kitamura(International Research Collaboration Office), and Special Visiting Researcher Naomi Chiba(Disaster Humanities and Social Science Division). Among the academic papers, the following werepresented or co-authored by IRIDeS/Tohoku University faculty:•••••••

Inclusive Disaster Management Planning: Addressing the Needs of LGBTQ+ Communitiesin Japan, Miwako Kitamura, Tohoku University; Anna Matsukawa, University of Hyogo;
Anawat Suppasri, Tohoku University; Punam Yadav, University College London
Putting Down Roots: Gardening, Farming, and Forestry as Post-Disaster Placemaking
Elizabeth Maly, Tohoku University; Tomoko Matsushita, Urban Research Center; Tamiyo
Kondo, Kobe University; Yegane Ghezelloo, National Institute of Technology, Akashi
CollegeOral History as a Tool for Understanding Women’s Resiliency in Ishinomaki after the Great
East Japan Earthquake, Naomi Chiba, Tohoku University
School memorials as “Lieux de Mémoire” in the cultural and collective memory of the Great
East Japan Earthquake, Julia Gerster, Tohoku University
Public awareness of ALPS treated water released from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Plant and social issues, Tetsuya Nakamura, Kyoei University; Steven Lloyd, Kyoei
University; Atsushi Maruyama, Chiba University; Satoru Masuda, Tohoku University
Design Process of Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake: Nakahama Elementary
School, Masashige Motoe, Tohoku University
Exploratory Comparative Study on Land Acquisition for Recovery in Italy, the United States,
and Japan Kensuke Otsuyama, The University of Tokyo; Tomoyuki Mashiko, Tokyo
Metropolitan University; Haruka Tsukuda, Tohoku University

Following the conference, papers will be published on the i-rec website, and selected papers will
be part of a special journal issue.
As the first to meet in Japan, i-Rec 2023 provided an unique opportunity for international experts
in disaser reconstruction and recovery to learn about the ontoing recovery after the GEJE, and also
exchange knowledge and information with an international community of younger researchers.
Covering diverse topics, including public policy, urban and community planning, and the social
impacts of disasters, i-Rec 2023 served as a platform to build stronger international connections
between IRIDeS and disaster researchers, community advocates, and other stakeholders to shareknowledge and valuable lessons derived from their experiences. As well as encouranging futurecollaboration, i-Rec 2023 made significant contributions to the global understanding of effective
recovery practices.
Text and Photos by: Liz Maly, Miwako Kitamura (International Research Collaboration Office)
Julia Gerster (Disaster Culture and Archive Studies)(continues to the next page)Fukushima Memorial Museum

Ukedo E.S.

Walking tour in Futaba

Group photo at local shrine in Futaba

Miyagi Memorial Museum

Guide of Ogatsu(continues to the next page)Keynote speech by Prof. Kubota

Panel 1 discussion

discussion with participants

Panel 2 discussion

Group Photo (in front of IRIDeS)

Special session on genderand disaste