Search Results (4)

The ongoing war in Ukraine poses an uncertain future, highlighting the need to prioritize reconstruction efforts even before the war ends. Japan’s recovery mechanisms have developed based on the experiences and lessons learned from natural disasters such as the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and from war damage by World War II. This study aims to draw practical insights and lessons from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake for Ukraine’s postwar recovery and help achieve rapid and high-quality results. This study reviews the literature, policy documents, and reports on recovery from the disaster. It was found that streamlining environmental impact assessments, land use regulations, and land acquisition could accelerate recovery. Engaging the private sector promoted the reconstruction of critical infrastructure and housing projects. This Japanese case study highlights the importance of ensuring sustained commitment and avoiding setbacks in the recovery process by establishing legislative, planning, and institutional frameworks, as well as financial mechanisms. Protecting human health is paramount, even if more resources are needed to manage hazardous materials. Applying these valuable lessons to Ukraine requires careful consideration, including leveraging foreign investments to supplement limited domestic resources and establishing effective governance structures that promote transparency, accountability, and coordination. Full article

It has been a century since the Great Kanto earthquake and 78 years since WWII, both of which were catastrophic events in Japan’s history. Preserving memories of urban disasters is essential for preventing future tragedies, and while survivors’ testimonies hold great power, their numbers dwindle over time. However, trees which bear the scars of disaster can also serve as valuable storytellers. This study investigates earthquake and war-damaged trees, including 11 Gingo trees, 1 Chinquapin, and 1 Japanese nutmeg tree, located at the Yushima Seido Temple in Tokyo, and highlights their importance in preserving memories. The trees were measured using a sonic tomography tree internal diagnosis device, resulting in a total of 41 cross-sections that captured their conditions in images. The results indicated an ideal measurement method for trees located on slopes, as well as identifying a new type of classification shape for measurement cross-sections. The results of this research should primarily be of benefit to tree owners, but it is hoped that the benefits can also extend to a wider audience by increasing awareness about the significance of trees with unique urban historical narratives, aiding the preservation of urban green space, aiding in disaster preparedness, and promoting the role of such tress in peace education. Full article

Multi-parameter observations, powerful for the study of lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling (LAIC), have been performed for a recent Tokyo earthquake (EQ) with a moderate magnitude (M = 5.9) and rather larger depth (~70 km) on 7 October 2021, in the hope of predicting the next Kanto (Tokyo) huge EQ, such as the 1923 Great Kanto EQ (with a magnitude greater than 7). Various possible precursors have been searched during the two-month period of 1 September to 31 October 2021, based on different kinds of data sets: (i) ULF (ultra-low frequency) magnetic data from Kakioka, Japan, (ii) ULF/ELF (extremely low frequency) magnetic field data from the Chubu University network, (iii) meteorological data (temperature and humidity) from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), (iv) AGW (atmospheric gravity wave) ERA5 data provided by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF), (v) subionospheric VLF/LF (very low frequency/low frequency) data from Russia and Japan, (vi) ionosonde Japanese data, and (vii) GIM (global ionosphere map) TEC (total electron content) data. After extensive analyses of all of the above data, we have found that there are a few obvious precursors: (i) ULF/ELF electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere, and (ii) lower ionospheric perturbations (with two independent tools from the ULF depression and subionospheric VLF anomaly) which took place just two days before the EQ. Further, ULF/ELF atmospheric electromagnetic radiation has been observed from approximately one week before the EQ until a few days after the EQ, which seems to be approximately synchronous in time to the anomalous variation in meteorological parameters (a combination of temperature and humidity, atmospheric chemical potential). On the other hand, there have been no clear anomalies detected in the stratospheric AGW activity, and in the NmF2 and TEC data for the upper F region ionosphere. So, it seems that the lithospheric origin is not strong enough to perturb the upper F region. Finally, we discuss the possible hypothesis for the LAIC process, and we can conclude that the AGW hypothesis might be ruled out, but other possible channels such as the chemical channel (radon emanation) and the associated effects might be in operation, at least, for this Tokyo EQ. Full article

In the Kanto region of Japan, a large quantity of natural gas is dissolved in brine. The large-scale production of gas and iodine in the region has caused large-scale land subsidence in the past. Therefore, continuous and accurate monitoring for subsidence using satellite remote sensing is essential to prevent extreme subsidence and ensure the safety of residences. This study focused on the small baseline subset (SBAS) method to assess ground deformation trends around the Kanto region. Data for the SBAS method was acquired by the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS)-2 Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR)-2 from 2015 to 2019. A comparison of our results with reference levelling data shows that the SBAS method underestimates displacement. We corrected our results using linear regression and determined the maximum displacement around the Kujyukuri area to be approximately 20 mm/year; the mean displacement rate for 2015–2019 was −7.9 ± 2.9 mm/year. These values exceed those obtained using past PALSAR observations owing to the horizontal displacement after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Moreover, fewer points were acquired, and the root mean-squared error of each time-series displacement value was larger in our results. Further analysis is needed to address these bias errors. Full article