A Mindset of “Combining Real Experience and Research”

Yoko Saito
Senior Researcher and Associate Professor,
Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance,Kwansei Gakuin University

My name is Yoko Saito, and I have been serving as a senior researcher and an associate
professor at the Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance sinceApril, 2020. Since 2018, I have had the privilege of conducting research on overseas disastervictim support systems as a designated researcher. When a disaster strikes in Japan, thesequence of events is that many victims are forced into communal living, sleeping together ina huddle at evacuation shelters. Those who can tolerate it do so as best as they can, and thenthey are moved to temporary housing, with those who are able to gradually rebuild their homes
moving into permanent residences. However, looking at the post-disaster response in OECDmember nations, some countries give various forms of financial support right from theemergency period, and I discovered that “enduring” and “payment in kind” are not always theglobal standard in the emergency period. I then learnt that there are options other than whatwe consider to be a matter of course in Japan regarding temporary and permanent housing.
For example, as I wrote in a previous newsletter report, in Italy, there are various types of
temporary housing, and the national government rebuilds permanent housing; thus, victims
at least have no need to worry about their housing. That said, from the perspective of thisinstituteʼs ideology of “human revitalization,” it was also revealed that housing alone by nomeans accomplishes “human revitalization.” It goes without saying that housing and work
opportunities that individuals require are essential, but at the same time we must also think© 2020 Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University

about what kind of area and society we would like to live in. Will we return to the same kindof society as before, seeking economic growth, or will we use the disaster as an opportunity torethink the state of society until now and move forward with a revitalization premised on asustainable society? Local revitalization advances through the participation of many
“individuals” in the planning process of these discussions, and I think that ultimately,individual “human revitalization” is achieved. I think it would be great if the “revitalizationwisdom” accumulated in such disaster areas or disaster-prepared areas could be shared andlearned together by victims, workers, and researchers both in Japan and overseas. This would
lead to the inheritance of knowledge gained in disaster areas and carefully maintained by theinstitute, enable the extraction of questions, and help researchers and front-line supporters
put their minds together to create a “combination of real experience and research.” It allbegins with walking the sites and lending an ear to the opinions of those at these sites. We
would then together think about ways for the institute to be of help, a process that will lead tostudies examining revitalization. I want to work with everyone to create that kind of virtuouscycle.
I cannot say that I have no anxieties when thinking about the paths trodden by the instituteʼsfirst senior researcher Professor Shigeki Yamanaka and my predecessor Professor Masayuki
Noro. I imagine that I will often ask everyone to lend their support going forward. I hope thatyou will give me your unreserved guidance and advice on the instituteʼs future research andactivities.
April 2020

© 2020 Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University