damage to the communications infrastructure, and immediately after the disaster large areas of Japan were left without access to information, but efforts were made to reduce such areas to a minimum. The damage wreaked by the earthquake and tsunami was devastating and covered a wide area, and in the wake of the disaster new media such as social media helped to spread detailed information beyond the scope of the mass media. The Internet and other media were used to disseminate all sorts of information starting immediately after the quake, and volunteers provided logistical support.

On the other hand, as described in Chapter 1, the Internet in times of disaster poses various problems including susceptibility to telecommunications disruptions and the spread of false rumors and chain e-mails.

Here, we will outline and consider some characteristics of the post-disaster ICT environment.

### 1. Media usage trends in the wake of the disaster

According to a Nomura Research Institute survey of Internet users aged 20 to 59 living in the Kanto region, conducted on March 19 and 20, 2011, NHK television broadcasts were seen as an important source of earthquake-related information by 80.5% of people, and commercial broadcasts by 56.9%, making these the top two sources of information. Among information obtained through the Internet, the most cited source was “portal sites” at 43.2%, making this the third most valued source of information. “Social media” at 18.3% (#7) was nearly on a par with “newspaper companies’ online information” (18.6%, #6), indicating that social media had considerable importance as a source of post-quake information.

### 2. Examples of new initiatives utilizing ICT

## (1) Diversification of content distribution methods

All segments of the ICT infrastructure were severely impaired by the quake and tsunami, and as a result attempts were made to get information to as many affected people as possible by disseminating information through multiple media.

### A. Diversification of information dissemination by broadcasters

As described in Chapter 2, in the aftermath of the disaster, broadcasters attempted to convey information over the airwaves, but also supplemented this with other methods in order to reach as wide an audience as possible.

### B. Information made available via social media by public institutions

In light of the growing use of a wide range of online social media, public institutions including the national government and local governments have been making increasing use of such services to strengthen information distribution efforts. In particular, many public institutions used social media after the Great East Japan Earthquake to inform people about disaster relief and recovery measures.

### C. Distribution of community information via social media by local

## newspapers in the affected region

Local newspapers in the affected region distributed information for everyday living, news items and reports from the affected areas, and other community information and disaster information in formats other than the conventional newspaper, such as social media.

#### D. Release of information held by public institutions, corporations, etc. in a user-friendly format

Immediately after the earthquake, procedures such as API $ ^{5} $ were standardized so that information in the possession of public institutions, corporations, etc. could be jointly shared. Using this data, a large number of websites and applications for PC or smartphone, modified for easy participation by private businesses, were developed, and the majority was provided free of charge.

## (2) Information made available immediately after the quake

Immediately after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, individual citizens posted updates on the disaster and requests for aid on social media, and images of the affected zone were displayed in real time on video-sharing sites, keeping people in other areas abreast of the events in real time via a wide range of image and word-based media.

## (3) Information disseminated by ordinary citizens

In addition to news made available by the mass media, a large amount of earthquake-related information was distributed by individuals and groups using platforms such as social media. In the cities of Kesennuma and Miyako, special emergency broadcast stations were established to provide valuable information in areas where sources were limited. Also, various groups joined forces to launch a wide range of activities on the Internet aimed at providing aid to those in the disaster-hit region.

## (4) Extraction, organization and redistribution of information

With a vast amount of information available, there were efforts made to extract, organize and redistribute it.