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The earthquake that struck Japan on New Year’s Day caused a grave tragedy but a political crisis, like that seen in 2011, seems to have been dodged.
Police officers search for victims in the rubble of destroyed and burned buildings in Wajima, on the Noto Peninsula, facing the Sea of Japan, northwest of Tokyo, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.
On New Year’s Day 2024, a severe earthquake struck Japan on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. The magnitude-7. 6 quake prompted the issuance of a primary tsunami warning, the first since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Needless to say, the occasion brought back painful memories.
More than two weeks later, relief efforts continue. The death toll has now hit 232. Over 100 people are still missing, and more than 28,000 people have been displaced to 403 evacuation centers. There is no denying that Ishikawa faces a grave tragedy.
Still, the Japanese government will be relieved to find that there is hardly a sense of political crisis like that of 2011. Japanese media describe the crisis as the Ishikawa earthquake (jishin), the Great Ishikawa earthquake (dai-shinsai), a name used to describe the Kobe earthquake in 1995, and the Tohoku earthquake in 2011.
The magnitude of these events partly explains this. The Tohoku crisis killed 19,759 people, and the death toll in 1995 at 6,434.
However, there is also a deeper sense that these were other types of disasters. The Tohoku earthquake was a natural event, but the consequences of the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were man-made.
In 2011, stories about the ferocity of the tsunami were temporarily accompanied by questions about the human disasters that exacerbated the tragedy. Why was the nuclear plant dam inadequate?And why was Fukushima so ill-prepared to evacuate?Obviously, poor crisis communication; 57. 7% of evacuees said they did not know where to evacuate.
What worried the public most was the idea that this was a “Japan-made crisis,” a conclusion backed by the National Independent Accident Investigation Commission. The idea that although the nuclear crisis was triggered by a tsunami, its root causes can simply be traced back to Japanese political culture caused other people to move from grief to anger.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which operated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, repeatedly insisted that an earthquake of this historic scale had been “unforeseeable.” The magnitude 9.1 Tohoku earthquake remains the third largest globally on record. Yet reports of a lax regulatory culture, revolving doors between government and industry, and the nuclear lobby’s influence over policy, left many citizens in no doubt that this was an unnatural disaster.
In 2012, anti-nuclear demonstrators piled up every Friday in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in the largest protests Japan has seen since the 1960s. Protests continued until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in smaller numbers over the years.
The 1995 Kobe earthquake sparked similar outbursts of anger. At the first National Diet consultation after the earthquake, Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi struggled to make himself heard despite complaints and boos from the opposition. manage?” an advisor shouted at the prime minister. “Why didn’t they send rescue groups from all over the country?
As in 2011, after the Kobe earthquake, Japanese public opinion temporarily came to the conclusion that political mistakes were to blame for the scale of the disaster. Some pointed to the slow mobilization of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces; others questioned Japan’s rejection of foreign aid. Many note the speed with which Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest Yazuka group, mobilized to distribute aid to the state’s sluggishness. Others questioned why 400,000 buildings had been damaged, concluding that Japan’s construction regulations were inadequate.
Unlike the Kobe and Tohoku earthquakes, the Ishikawa earthquake is still considered a natural crisis today. It did not cause a nuclear accident. The plant closest to the epicenter, the Shika plant in Ishikawa, has been out of service since 2011 and its operator claims that its refrigeration systems are still operational. And so far the emergency reaction has had a positive reaction. The rescue of a 90-year-old woman, who had been trapped for five days, was an international celebration.
However, mistakes were made. A Japan Airlines plane and a Coast Guard plane bound for the Noto Peninsula collided at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Jan. 2, killing five Coast Guard personnel. In addition, many difficult situations persist. More than 100 people are still missing and there is a need to relocate tens of thousands of people displaced by the earthquake. The crisis may be over, but it continues.
As foreign media turn their attention to other issues, the Japanese state will have to avoid complacency. The Kobe and Tohoku earthquakes demonstrate how a natural crisis can temporarily become a political crisis, when governments appear to betray their citizens.
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On New Year’s Day 2024, a severe earthquake struck Japan on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. The magnitude-7. 6 quake prompted the issuance of a primary tsunami warning, the first since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the Fukushima power plant. nuclear disaster. Needless to say, the occasion brought back painful memories.
More than two weeks later, rescue efforts continue. More than 100 people are still missing and more than 28,000 people have been displaced to 403 evacuation centres. There’s no denying that Ishikawa is facing a crisis. Grave tragedy.
Still, the Japanese government will be relieved to find that there is hardly a sense of political crisis like that of 2011. Japanese media describe the crisis as the Ishikawa earthquake (jishin), the Great Ishikawa earthquake (dai-shinsai), a name used to describe the Kobe earthquake in 1995, and the Tohoku earthquake in 2011.
The magnitude of these events partly explains this. The Tohoku crisis killed 19,759 people, and the death toll in 1995 at 6,434.
However, there is also a deeper sense that these were other types of disasters. The Tohoku earthquake was a natural event, but the consequences of the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were man-made.
In 2011, stories about the ferocity of the tsunami were quickly accompanied by questions of human failures exacerbating the tragedy. Why had the sea wall at the nuclear power plant proven inadequate? And why was Fukushima so ill-prepared to evacuate? By all accounts, crisis communication was poor; 57.7 percent of evacuees said that they didn’t know where they were supposed to evacuate to.
What worried the public most was the idea that this was a “Japan-made crisis,” a conclusion backed by the National Independent Accident Investigation Commission. The idea that although the nuclear crisis was triggered by a tsunami, its root causes can simply be traced back to Japanese political culture caused other people to move from grief to anger.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, has continually insisted that an earthquake of this historic magnitude is “unpredictable. ” The Tohoku earthquake, with a magnitude of 9. 1, remains the third largest ever recorded in However, reports of a lax regulatory culture, revolving doors between government and industry and the influence of the nuclear lobby on politics They left many citizens in no doubt that it was an unnatural disaster.
In 2012, anti-nuclear demonstrators piled up every Friday in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in the largest protests Japan has seen since the 1960s. Protests continued until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in smaller numbers over the years.
The Kobe earthquake in 1995 sparked similar outbursts of anger. In the first National Diet consultation after the earthquake, Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi struggled to make his voice heard despite complaints and boos from the opposition. Manage?” An adviser yelled at the prime minister. ” Why didn’t they send rescue groups from all over the country?
As in 2011, after the Kobe earthquake, Japanese public opinion temporarily came to the conclusion that political mistakes were to blame for the scale of the disaster. Some pointed to the slow mobilization of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces; others questioned Japan’s rejection of foreign aid. Many attribute the speed with which Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest Yazuka group, mobilized to distribute aid to the slowness of the state. Others questioned why 400,000 buildings had been damaged, concluding that Japan’s construction regulations were inadequate.
In contrast to both the Kobe and Tohoku earthquakes, the Ishikawa quake is at present still seen as a natural disaster. It did not trigger a nuclear incident. The plant closest to the epicenter, the Shika plant in Ishikawa, has been offline since 2011 and its operator reports that its cooling systems remain operational. And, so far, the emergency response has been positively received. The rescue of a 90-year-old woman who was trapped for five days has been celebrated internationally.
However, mistakes were made. A Japan Airlines plane and a Coast Guard plane bound for the Noto Peninsula collided at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Jan. 2, killing five Coast Guard personnel. In addition, many difficult situations persist. More than 100 people are still missing and there is a need to relocate tens of thousands of people displaced by the earthquake. The crisis may be over, but it continues.
As foreign media turns its attention to other issues, the Japanese state will have to avoid complacency. The Kobe and Tohoku earthquakes demonstrate how an herbal crisis can temporarily turn into a political crisis, when governments seem to betray their citizens.
On New Year’s Day 2024, a severe earthquake struck Japan on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. The magnitude-7. 6 quake prompted the issuance of a primary tsunami warning, the first since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the Fukushima power plant. nuclear disaster. Needless to say, the occasion brought back painful memories.
More than two weeks later, rescue efforts continue. More than 100 people are still missing and more than 28,000 people have been displaced to 403 evacuation centres. There’s no denying that Ishikawa is facing a crisis. Grave tragedy.
Dr. Makoto Takahashi is assistant professor of Transdisciplinary STS at Vrije Universiteit and an expert on Japanese politics and disasters. He received his Ph.D. at Cambridge University for work on the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, before accepting a Fulbright-Lloyd’s Fellowship at Harvard. His family emigrated from Japan shortly after the 1995 Kobe earthquake. In addition to his academic work, Makoto is the lead curator of the Picturing the Invisible exhibition, which examines the legacies of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster.