Japan, owing to its geographical situation on the Pacific Ring of Fire, has experienced many devastating earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and torrential rains. In particular, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, which was the largest earthquake disaster of the post-World War II era at that time, sent shock waves throughout the world. As of January 2024, Japan has experienced 178 earthquakes with human casualties since 1996. The most devastating of these include the 2004 Mid-Niigata Prefecture Earthquake, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, and the 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake. On January 1st, 2024, a significant earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture. In addition to earthquakes, many people were killed by overflowing rivers and landslides in torrential rains in western Japan in 2018 and Typhoon Hagibis (Reiwa 1 East Japan Typhoon) in 2019. The global outbreak of COVID-19 infections in 2019 not only caused numerous deaths, but also greatly altered ways of life for people around the world.

Now that some time has passed since these disasters, we can observe various processes and phases of reconstruction underway in Japan. Kobe has already completed its recovery from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, providing a long-term verification of “Build Back Better” efforts. In the Tohoku region, which suffered tremendous damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and where some areas are still working on reconstruction, there is a retrospective analysis of the reconstruction process and discussion about future policies. This program aims to develop human resources capable of creating and sustaining businesses that generate creative value. It involves learning about past disasters and the reconstruction process and creating business ideas to achieve a resilient society.

This program is part of the JST START University Ecosystem Promotion Type (Supporting Creation of Startup Ecosystem in Startup Cities) Project and is supported by the MIRAI (Multidisciplinary Integration for Resilience and Innovation) Alliance of Kobe University.