Forum Report
On October 7, 2017, Reexamining Japan in Global Context's 12th seminar took place at the Hotel JAL City Sendai, Japan. The theme of the event was "Recovering from Disaster." The first presentation was given by Professor Izuru Makihara, a professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), University of Tokyo. In his presentation titled "Reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake," Professor Makihara who went through this disaster in Sendai as a professor at Tohoku University talked about the Japanese government’s efforts for reconstruction and responses by the local communities. He also examined 3/11’s effect on politics, institutions, and social change. The second presentation, by Professor Liping Fang, a professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, was titled "Human and Institutional Challenges to Disaster Recovery." He argued that Japan had developed an advanced disaster risk management system composed of laws, policies, regulations, and decision-making processes, as well as a strong culture of prevention and preparedness even before 3/11, and how they influenced community and individual behaviours at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
