Establishment and Sustainability of Emergency Radio in Tohoku: Implications and Key Lessons

Abstract

In the disaster-hit area of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, 30 temporary disaster radio stations where set up during the period from immediately after the disaster until 1 year after it and provided detailed information needed by the victims to live through disaster. And, 3 years from the disaster, half of these stations where operating as revitalization radio stations. The role changed from providing information in times of emergency to soothing the traumatized minds of the victims, and then acting as media which provided a bridge between residents to revitalize their communities. Although the necessity of emergency radio stations broadcasting information during the emergency support period has been discussed up to the present, with the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami disaster the actual role the emergency radio stations played at each point in time from the time the disaster struck is revealed when viewed in time phases.

In this research, using the example of temporary emergency radio stations in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, the necessary conditions for the setting up and continuation of activities of emergency radio stations are identified, and the outstanding points and problems of the institutionalized temporary emergency radio stations in Japan are discovered. Also, by comparing emergency radio stations in Asian countries where there are many disasters, it derives points to improve so that the institutionalization of temporary emergency radio stations will meet the needs of the disaster area.