with or rather than a secure power source as a lifeline (cited by 6.2%).

As for ICT tools available at evacuation centers, many comments said evacuees depended only on the radio when almost all other ICT tools were unavailable due to blackouts in the first week after the disaster. On ICT needs at evacuation centers, one interview comment said: "There were great needs for mobile phones. Although mobile phones gradually became usable, mobile communications were unstable. I wanted mobile phone communications to be more stable." Among information and communications tools, the mobile phone posted the highest popularity rating of 52.6%, followed by the TV and radio.

Opportunities to match the supply and demand of ICT tools were seen by 28.8% of respondents. Such opportunities were also seen by 41.2% of local governments and by 47.4% of residents at temporary houses. Information-rich administrative organizations and residents of temporary houses during the post-disaster restoration/reconstruction period saw more opportunities to match ICT tool supply and demand.

## (5) Handling of personal information and consideration to elderly people

As for handling of personal information in the disaster-damaged areas, 86.7% of residents said they saw no particular problems. Meanwhile, 45.4% of local governments said they had experienced considerable difficulty in collecting and disclosing personal information. There was a consciousness gap between residents feeling no particular problems and local governments making painful efforts.

People affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake included many elderly persons. Interviewees were asked about how consideration was given to elderly persons in information conveyance. A majority of 67.7% said they saw no special consideration given to elderly people. But 8.1% said multiple information provision means were used. This indicates that consideration was given to elderly people in some cases.

# 2. Information behaviors of metropolitan residents upon the disaster

We here would like to analyze “Joint Research on An-shin in Internet Usage,” a joint study by the University of Tokyo, Toyo University, Kansai University and Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Co. on information behaviors of residents in the Tokyo metropolitan region. The study is based on an Internet poll of residents in Tokyo and the three neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba.

## (1) Through what media or means did you initially know of the earthquake?

Looking at the media through which respondents first knew of the earthquake, the TV was cited by 53.4% of respondents, the highest percentage followed by 16.1% for news sites and 11.3% for one-seg broadcasting, indicating that mass media served as a main information channel (Figure 3-1-2-1). Percentage shares for respondents citing social media were lower, including 0.9% for SNS (social network services) through personal computers and mobile phones and 0.7% for Twitter.

## (2) What communications means did you attempt to use on the earthquake day?

Nearly 80% of respondents attempted to use the voice communications of the mobile phone. A similar percentage of respondents were planning to use the mobile phone E-mail. We would like to check the availability of communications means on the earthquake day for respondents who attempted to use some means and found them unavailable. The mobile phone voice communications was the most difficult to be connected among communications means, cited by 65.4% as unavailable. Following this was the fixed-line phone communications

Figure 3-1-2-1 Through what media did you know about the earthquake first?

(Source) The University of Tokyo Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, Research Survey Reports in Information Studies 2012 No. 28, "Information Behaviors in Tokyo Metropolitan Area after the Great East Japan Earthquake"