Foreword: Toward International Collaboration and Regional
Revitalization

Yoshiyuki Yama
Director, Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth, and Governance
Professor, School of Human Welfare Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University
On January 17, 2005, ten years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the Institute ofDisaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth, and Governance was established as the first institutein Japan to focus on the reconstruction and revitalization of the lives of disaster victims under
the philosophy of " human-centered recovery" out of a sense of social responsibility as auniversity in the disaster area.
Japan, which is frequently affected by natural disasters, has been active in disasterprevention research in the field of natural science from early on, but in comparison to this,research from the perspective of social science fields, specializing in the "disaster recovery andrevitalization" of disaster victims and affected areas, has not been sufficient. The institutebegan as a pioneering center that raised a topic at the leading edge at the time of its
establishment.
Since then, with the frequent occurrence of large-scale disasters such as the Great East
Japan Earthquake and the torrential rains in western Japan, research institutes with "disasterrecovery and revitalization" in their names have been established in various regions, and theJapan Society for Disaster Recovery and Revitalization has been established with this instituteas its secretariat, making the term "disaster recovery and revitalization " a household word.

© 2022 Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University

I myself was involved with the institute from the preparations for its establishment, and I
planned and coordinated its first field survey on the March 2005 earthquake off the western
coast of Fukuoka Prefecture. Partly because it was just after the launch, I remember as if itwere only yesterday that a few of us, including the then-director Kōjirō Miyahara and seniorresearcher Shigeki Yamanaka, went to the site to conduct field research and reporter Seiji
Shigemura of the Nishinippon Shimbun made a great effort to coordinate with relatedorganizations and supported our field research.
Since then, the institute has conducted various studies and research with the support ofmany people. Thanks again to those who have helped us.
There are two future directions for the institute that I would like to focus on. One is“international collaboration.” Large-scale disasters have occurred frequently in recent years
and an earthquake directly under the Tokyo metropolitan area and Nankai megathrustearthquakes are predicted to occur in the near future. Recovery from a large-scale disaster is
not something that can be handled by a single country alone; building international support
and cooperation relationships is essential and becoming increasingly important.
The second is to further stretch our wings to include “regional revitalization.” Many of theareas affected by disasters were suffering from falling birthrates, aging populations, anddepopulation before the disaster, making the revitalization of these very areas a challenge. At
the same time as efforts are being made to recover from disasters, there is a need for regional
revitalization efforts to overcome regional weaknesses.
Last but not least, I will be assuming the position of director in April. Although my skills
are lacking for the role, I am determined to serve with sincerity, standing on the shoulders ofpast directors.
I look forward to your continued support of and cooperation with the institute.
April 2022

© 2022 Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University