Understanding Disaster Management in Japan: Technology, Systems and Local Wisdom cause to People’s Collective Awareness

After 12 days visited some cities in Japan; listened the experience of Japanese citizens in facing natural disasters such as earthquakes, learned from the experts and scientist from leading universities, met the organizations working directly in tsunami location, knew immediately what is really happening and experienced by the Japanese when natural disasters come, observed directly how the Japanese culture became an important part of life for all of Japanese society from generation to generation, understand the relation between culture and natural disaster, listened how high school students understand natural disaster as part of their daily life, and finally visited to an institution where everyone in the world can learn about earthquake in detail, are my great experiences to get incredible knowledge about disaster management.

As a developed country in Asia, Japan has been proven to develop various advanced technologies as the basis of economic power in the competitive countries of Europe and America. For example “Shinkansen Bullet Train”, which started operating in 1964, a modern fast train with a very sophisticated design, can speeding up to 300 km / h and reach all major cities in the largest island, Honshu Island. From various records there is a sophisticated system applied for running the Shinkansen. There is no fatal accident for duration 40 years after launching caused by system error or human error. Even for an earthquake anticipation, this train is equipped with a detection system that would lay off the train when an earthquake is detected. In the Chuetsu earthquake in October 2004, a Shinkansen close to the epicenter loose the track (rails), but no passengers were injured. The next generation train, FASTECH 30, will have a wing brake as a windbreak (which is similar to the usefulness of the ear) to assist the stop process when an earthquake is detected.

Experiences of large-scale earthquake in a very often intensity are really a momentum to move, fix the system which already built. Government as policy makers from all system of government work hard and become the initiator to accommodate all the potential of existing technology. Government build a disaster preparedness system from community level to national scale. School system starting from kindergarten to college is not separated from the aspect of natural disasters. I received information from a teacher at Maiko High School, Hyogo, Kobe, that the trend of disaster preparedness education system in Japan has changed since the 1995 Kobe earthquake and tsunami Tohoku 2011. It is a great experience.

The concept of disaster mitigation education in Japan before the Kobe earthquake in 1995 is the concept of evacuation activities through training collectively or individually and disaster education with knowledge of the geological material. After the Kobe earthquake, education is focused on disaster preparedness, disaster in daily life, mutual help and compassion. Disaster education start to develop after 2011 Tohoku Tsunami. The growing knowledge about natural disaster by researchers or scientists make the technology and the preparedness are focused on "assumptions".

Bad experience occurred when Kamaishi residents, in Iwate Prefecture, feel secure when the government has built two layers of anti-tsunami walls as high as 10 meters. In technology application, the wall with more than 2km long were designed based on the assumptions that have been studied in great detail. The assumption is the tsunami that would hit the region is below 10 meters. The very sophisticated early warning system which can monitor the occurrence of a second per second Tohoku earthquake and tsunami can also be monitored via internet and television of all citizens.


When the earthquake occurred, a tsunami early warning siren sounded, but residents continued to monitor the internet and television which provide information that the tsunami would hit Kamaishi just as high as 6 meters. Most people still stayed home and watched television coverage the tsunami in the other region.
The fact is not as the prediction. Giant tsunami hit the first wall in the bay of Kamaishi (10 meters high, 64 meters deep, more than 2 km long) and finally passed the second wall (10 meters high), which became the boundary between the beach and neighborhoods. Thousands of people lost because of this incident, more than 500 residents who stayed home eventually have died due to the wrong prediction.

Over this incident, the government of Japan said that a natural disaster like an earthquake or tsunami is something "unexpected". Therefore from the Tohoku tsunami experience, natural disaster preparedness education systems changed and evolved. No more assumption. The education of disaster mitigation should be able to cultivate the ability of everyone to take role as a party in every opportunity. Opportunity here is a learning opportunity, strengthen solidarity and understand what exactly happened and spread it to others, so in the future if there is again a natural disaster they will have a better preparedness.

Japanese people from generation to generation maintain their culture. In their culture that is continuously maintained, there is a "message" about nature, goodness and values, packaged as a local wisdom. Messages about disasters especially earthquakes or tsunamis delivered by the ancestors of the Japanese people through various media.


Many temples were built in some strategic places, such as in high areas with extensive landscaping as part of a sacred area. Design technology, traditional Japanese architecture, reflects many things about earthquake preparedness science. Wide range of knowledge inspired by local knowledge needs to be continuously updated to remain current contextual conditions.

Kyumizu Temple in Kyoto is one of a great example of Japanese ancestors built a magnificent building that has stood strong for hundreds of years ago. As an architect, I watched and was amazed how Kyumizu Temple was built in a very difficult location, with an open view towards the city of Kyoto, using simple local technologies but highly detailed resulting a very perfect wooden architecture. The timber construction system was designed correctly and simple, giving a beauty building. The location must be selected with consideration of environmental aspects and nature such as earthquakes. Therefore Kyumizu Temple is a proof that the ancestors of the Japanese are very clever in constructing architecture works for their generation.


In the location of Temple Kyumizu today developed a residential area and international tours. As a sacred place by the people of Japan, Kyumizu Temple retained intact not only the building but also the landscape. Landscape is a very important point because it can accommodate thousands of people who come and want to pray. But now people around the location also use the temple landscape as an evacuation area when there are some natural disasters such as earthquakes or massive fires. Where else can find or build an evacuation area in densely populated area? Of course the answer is only in the location of old temple in Japan.

According to Dr. Norio Maki, a lecturer at Kyoto University, the similar things in different areas affected by the tsunami Tohoku finally found the management with the same pattern. Evacuation area should be built in high area and safe, easily accessible or built a strong building with an open area that can accommodate many people. This opinion is certainly not just appear, but (perhaps) comes from the learning process and understand the "message" conveyed from Japanese ancestors through the work of Japanese architecture and culture.

Finally, the remarkable phenomenon when entered into the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI) in Kobe City Center, which was built as a learning center for the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995. Kobe as a city that was destroyed by a 7.2 SR earthquake rose to show what really happens before, during and after the earthquake by building a learning center about the Kobe earthquake to the people around the world.

Information from various aspects shown in detail and systematic, so that everyone who came, children and adults, will understand what really happens during an earthquake. Japan has been demonstrated in various ways, we all learn from what's already happened, so we will be better prepared when disaster comes forward. DRI is built learning media from each other, improve the quality of human life through kindness, flexibility, solidarity, generosity and also to remind that we should always live in harmony with nature and should realize how important is the life for next generations through the knowledge that is practical and easy to understand for all people.

Japan as a country in the "ring of fire", in their management of disaster, actually deliver a "happiness, joy and beauty" to the world. That we should have power, have glory of life among thousands of people who disappeared and died of a disaster. We can not run and had to go back to our each home, because there we will find beauty and strength. With help and solidarity among all peoples on earth, we will still have dreams and hopes.

JENESYS East Asia Future Leaders' Programme 2011
The Japan Foundation