In Japan, due to its location, many significant earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and heavy rains have occurred: the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the Western Japan Floods in 2018, Typhoon Hagibis in 2019. As an island nation, we can observe different recovery processes and phases at the same time. Kobe is a city where the recovery and reconstruction process from the damages caused by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake has been finished, and we can assess the long-term effects as well as the impacts of “Build Back Better” that can be observed through the process. Tohoku is a region where some cities and towns were hit hard by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, with recovery efforts still ongoing. We can evaluate the recovery process for these ten years and provide feedback on strategies for the decade ahead.
In this program, you will study entrepreneurship for disaster risk management, by studying the disaster damage and recovery processes in Kobe and Tohoku, and by planning a project for disaster prevention and mitigation. You will discuss the subject of disaster management as a social problem, together with faculty and students from different universities.