Disaster and Recovery: Institutional Design for Families and Their Support

Yamaji Kumiko

doi:10.4234/jjoffamilysociology.26.27

Japan is a country highly prone to disasters. The effects on individuals, families, and communities of March 11th, 2011, a massive multiple disaster including an earthquake, tsunami, and a nuclear crisis, can barely be calculated. Individuals and communities are the main concern of disaster studies, it being expected that families will deal with their problems by themselves. In the recovery process, most governmental support for victims is provided on the day on which the disaster occurs and is based on Disaster Victim Certificate and its head of household, so direct victim support offered to a household member is very limited. That the suggestion of focusing on individuals does not come up when considering support for disaster victims is deeply related to how Japanese social security is based fundamentally on household units. It may be related to the lack of assistance for well-organized families managing without support for family care, such as that for the elderly and children. Now, however, is the time to assist in rebuilding the community using the concept of ‘machi-zukuri' and at the same time facilitate a liberal ‘family-zukuri' by establishing the ‘Family Cafe' in society.

Disaster and Recovery: Institutional Design for Families and Their Support

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