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The 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Reconstruction and Restoration

Insights and Assessment after 5 Years

  • Compiles new information and knowledge about the restoration and reconstruction activities undertaken over a five years period in one of the most earthquake and tsunami devastated coastal areas in the world
  • Illustrates the achievements and failures of plans and activities supported by large financial resources and human efforts in different sectors during 5 years
  • Compiles real case situations on technical, scientific, social and non-scientific (i.e. management and policy) fields
  • Presents chapters written by well-known experts
  • Serves as a reference work due to its wide scope and topics

Part of the book series: Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research (NTHR, volume 47)

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Table of contents (27 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
  2. Societal and Community Recovery

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 89-89
    2. Healthy Community Resilient Against Disaster

      • Shinichi Egawa, Aya Murakami, Hiroyuki Sasaki
      Pages 139-152
  3. The Environment: Research, Damage and Recovery

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 227-227
    2. Restoration Measures After the 2011 Tohoku-oki Tsunami and Their Impact on Tsunami Research

      • Catherine Chagué-Goff, Kazuhisa Goto, Daisuke Sugawara, Yuichi Nishimura, Takeshi Komai
      Pages 229-247

About this book

This book covers the restoration and reconstruction process and activities undertaken in Japan in the first five years since the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami – a period widely considered to be the most intensive reconstruction phase within the 10-year restoration plan drawn up by the Japanese Government.

The respective chapters explore technical, scientific, social and non-scientific (policy-related) aspects, including: reconstruction and restoration policies, infrastructure and designs for tsunami coastal defence, resilient urban areas and affected communities, housing and relocation schemes, disaster mitigation and evacuation measures, reactivation of the economy, revitalization of fisheries and coastal agriculture, and industry and tourism. The book also illustrates some of the achievements and failures in a broad range of projects and initiatives intended to address the above-mentioned issues, making it particularly relevant for experts, decision makers, students and other interested scholars.

Editors and Affiliations

  • International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC), Otsu, Japan

    Vicente Santiago-Fandiño

  • Department of Civil Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Shinji Sato

  • Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Research Division of Disaster Management for Safe and Secure Society, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Norio Maki

  • International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    Kanako Iuchi

About the editors

Kanako Iuchi joined International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University, in 2013 as an associate professor. Her areas of expertise include disaster management planning, urban and regional planning, and community development in international settings. Prior to joining IRIDeS, she worked as an Urban Specialist in the World Bank and an international development planner and researcher with bi- and multi-lateral organizations; national, regional, and local governments; and communities in more than ten countries across East and South Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe. She holds a BS from Tsukuba University, an MRP from Cornell University, and a PhD from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in urban and regional planning. Her primary research interest is on understanding a better planning tools and procedures for resettlement after disasters, and is currently exploring the theme in different settings including Japan, Indonesia, Philippines and the US. 


Norio Maki is professor at Kyoto University in Japan and holds various degrees in Engineering including a PhD. He is currently working at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute of this institution. Before becoming a full time Professor in 2014 he worked at various key positions including Team Leader at the Earthquake Disaster Mitigation Research Center of the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention and Senior Researcher at the Earthquake Disaster Mitigation Research Center, RIKEN both in Japan. Prof. Maki has been a Member of the Committee of National Land Use Planning, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Tourism in Japan, and nowadays he is an active Member of the Tsunami Research Committee (MEXT, Japan) and an Emergency Management Advisor in Kyoto Prefecture. He has published a number of scientific papers and managed research projects on disaster prevention topics. Prof. Maki’s main interests are Long Term Recovery From Disaster, Multi-hazard Strategic Disaster Reduction Planning, and Information Sharing for Disaster Response.



Vicente Santiago worked in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for over 23 years. Initially as Deputy Coordinator of the Environmental Training Network for Latin America and the Caribbean (Mexico), then as Deputy Coordinator of the Regional Programme on Integrated Planning and Institutional Development for the Wider Caribbean Region (Jamaica), and finally as Water Officer at the International Environmental Technology Centre located in Japan.  He has carried out projects and activities in various countries in the Caribbean region, Middle East, Africa, Asia and North and South America, as well as in Europe collaborating with governments, institutions and NGOs.  His areas of expertise include integrated coastal zone management, integrated river and lakes management,water quality and wetlands, and lately natural hazards in coastal areas mainly earthquakes and tsunamis. He has published a number of technical reports, environmental training materials, scientific and technical papers as well as edited a number of books. He received his Bachelor degree as a Biologist at the National University of Mexico (UNAM), Master in Science degree in Marine Biology at the University College North Wales; Bangor (Wales, UK), and Ph.D. in Environmental Chemial Engineering (Applied Sciences) at Exeter University (England, UK) initiating his professional career as lecturer at the Metropolitan University of Mexico (UAM).  At present he is an Invited Researcher at the International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC) in Japan and also works as a freelance consultant.




Shinji Sato graduated from the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in 1983. He worked as a research associate at Civil Engineering Department and received Dr. Eng. degree in 1987. He then moved to Yokohama National University and worked as an associate professor until 1994. He moved to Public Works Research Institute, Ministry of Construction and worked for the Coast Division until 1999. He then moved to the University of Tokyo and was appointed to a professor in 2000. His major is coastal engineering, especially sediment movement and beach evolution. His research topics include nearshore processes, large-scale long-term coastal evolution, infragravity motion, coastal disaster mitigation against storm surge and tsunami, and sustainability of coastal environment. He has done pioneering works on oscillatory boundary layer flow over bedforms, numerical model development of nonlinear dispersive waves, nearshore currents due to waves and winds, and sediment movement in the watershed scale. He was awarded with Excellent Paper Award of Japan Society of Civil Engineers in 1998, Coastal Engineering Journal Award in 2005 and JSCE Excellent Book Publication Award in 2014. He currently serves as a special advisor of ocean policy to the cabinet.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access