Image by Kevin Krejci via Flickr

This Japan Earthquake Report was written by a British private firm.  It is 38 pages.  The subtitle is “A Preliminary Briefing on the Japanese Government’s Disaster Response Management.”

The events in Japan in March 2011, involving an earthquake and subsequent tsunami, fell exactly within the risk profile of Japan’s disaster management programme, and there were no contributing factors to the disaster that couldnot or should not have been predicted and accounted for.

The failures in disaster response management came about through systemic weaknesses that were entirely predictable, and had been identified in previous similar events, including the 1995 Kobe-Hanshin earthquake.

The systemic failures of the Japanese government and disaster management system were not unique to Japan. They reflect almost completely the same weaknesses that were identified in America following Hurricane Katrina and9/11.

Japan’s planning and construction laws have clearly made a difference to the ability of large buildings to survive even major earthquakes, and this can be seen as a major success in their long-term earthquake management policy.

Despite the fact that individual agencies have developed a high-level of expertise and capability (and often have world-class equipment and technology unavailable to other countries, including US), Japan still lacks a unified Disaster Management framework that allows the swift mobilisation of separate agencies under a unified operational command.

There needs to be a clear distinction made between ‘Major Incidents’ and ‘National Disasters’. They require a different class of response, and as one USFEMA commentator noted, it is no use responding to a Class 5 Disaster with Class 1 frameworks.

Failures at the tactical and operational level were reflected in, and in many ways caused by, a lack of leadership at the political level. Disaster management on a national level is a political issue, and responsibility for that needs to be accepted by national political leaders, whether in terms of long-term capability preparation or in the immediate post-incident response.

Despite these failures, there is a clearly-defined development road-map that would allow Japan to use its existing technical, personnel and organisation and lresources to create an appropriate, effective and integrated unified Disaster Management framework.

None of the points above are new or unknown. They reflect almost completely the conclusions reached following the 1995 Kobe-Hanshin earthquake and the Hurricane Katrina….

No one sensible ever said recovery planning was easy.  Japan Rebuilding Is Facing Delays.,Wall St. Journal, July 4. Some details about the difficulties in Japan re the massive reconstruction effort needed there:

The head of Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s reconstruction council said it is unlikely that any of the large-scale rebuilding efforts recommended by the panel will be implemented until the end of the year at the earliest, underscoring how the political impasse in Tokyo is stalling the rebuilding of Japan’s devastated northeast region.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Friday, Makoto Iokibe, head of the panel, said the continued political battles in Japan’s parliament will mean postponing a massive reconstruction process already expected to take more than a decade.

As of July 5th, the newly appointed reconstruction minister quit his position.  A new appointee has already been named.

From the Christian Science Monitor on July 7th:  Japan Recovery From Tsunami Stalls.

Rigid bureaucracy, the scope of devastation, and a lack of financing are hindering Japan’s comeback from the March earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Some citizens are taking recovery into their own hands.

In  Time magazine, June 24. Rebuilding Japan.  A very candid assessment by a Japanese former newspaper editor. Some excerpts are provided below:

The earthquake of March 11, 2011, changed the geography of Japan — literally. Digital maps and GPS devices are likely to deviate by more than 5 m as a result. Beyond this geological shift, aftershocks from the earthquake are reverberating across many dimensions of Japanese life, creating upheaval in our politics, economy, social institutions and foreign relations. In ways many Japanese never before experienced, our national spirit has been shaken.

Throughout Japanese history, seismic disasters have often seemed to mark the dramatic end of an era. The momentous question now is what sort of change the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake will delineate. Japan can no longer afford the delusions of “graceful decline” or “small is beautiful” — notions that appealed to many prior to March 11. Our choice is rebirth or ruin. (See Japan’s history of massive earthquakes.)

Unfathomable losses are the most immediate consequence of the earthquake and tsunami. Some are at least measurable, or will be in the foreseeable future — in particular, the toll in lost lives, vanished communities and destroyed property. But the losses are intangible as well. The compound crisis of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergency has shattered Japan’s image as a land of safety and security. Instead of viewing Japan as a haven of immunity from danger and inconvenience, many around the world now perceive the country as fraught with peril and discomfort. This perception is certain to have an effect on foreign investment and the nation’s appeal as a destination for tourists.

Another consequence of the disaster is a crisis of trust. The government has performed inadequately in sharing information with the Japanese public as well as the rest of the world. Unfortunately, Japan’s ineptness in communication and global literacy is a long-standing problem. More fundamental in this regard is the exposure of the too cozy relationship between an elite cadre at Tokyo Electric Power Company and officials at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The lack of transparency and accountability has undermined faith in Japan’s ability to manage risks properly and effectively.

On a more positive note is this article about volunteers who are helping with the cleanup in Japan; from Telegraph (UK), on June 30.

Image via Wikipedia

Quake knocks Japan into recession.  From Reuters, May 19.

Related articles

• Japan’s economy falls into recession following quake (edition.cnn.com)
• Why Japan’s earthquake caused a recession (curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com)
• Japan Slides Into Recession – Wall Street Journal (news.google.com)