Handbook of Disaster Studies in Japan

This Handbook of Disaster Studies in Japan is part of the Japan Documents Handbook Series, which focuses on the broad field of Japanese Studies published in Japan in English. As one of the most disaster-prone countries in the Asia-Pacific area, Japan has been at the forefront of disaster response and management, while engaging actively in international cooperation for disaster risk reduction and management through global policies, ODA and diplomatic initiatives. It is also a leading country in disaster research, with which it shares its disaster ex- periences internationally. However, many valuable scholarly outputs in Japan are published in Japanese only, and are not necessarily available for non-Japanese readers. Therefore, this handbook in English provides international audiences with a collection of such important output, along with up-to-date research works from a large number of experts in the field. The volume contains 40 chapters authored by contributors with different cultural, linguistic and national backgrounds, from junior to well-established scholars, independent research- ers, NPO and NGO activists, and artists. As the editors of this volume, we believe we also represent such diversity well, with an Italian and a Japanese who have studied and researched sociological aspects of disasters inside and outside Japan for several years. Such eclecticism is reflected in the approach of the volume, an interdisciplinary exploration of disaster in Japan, which is hoped will reach a broader and more diverse range of readership and researchers in the field. We expect readers will use our research output as prompts for further investigations and will move toward the direction of engaged and critical research in disaster studies in Japan, as showcased in this volume.