Tripod Scheme in Flood Disaster Management     in Japan

Hirotada Matsuki

doi:10.20965/jdr.2012.p0582

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JDR Vol.7 No.5 pp. 582-589

(2012)

doi: 10.20965/jdr.2012.p0582

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Tripod Scheme in Flood Disaster Management in Japan

Hirotada Matsuki

Himeji Office of River and Road, Kinki Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), 1-250 Hojo, Himeji, Hyogo 670-0947, Japan

Received:

July 17, 2012

Accepted:

September 8, 2012

Published:

October 1, 2012

Keywords:

history, disaster management, self-help, mutual help, public help

Abstract

Japan has suffered from natural disasters but sustained economic activity on not so commodious islands. This social resiliency is based on a time-honored risk management scheme that, like a tripod, consists of self-help, mutual help, and public help. This study analyzes the social infrastructure from Japan’s disaster-fighting history. Japan’s first political documents tell how the ancient Japanese people broke ground on floodplains to develop rice-paddy agriculture and underwent repeated water-related disasters after the Nara era (710-794). People had to deal with flooding and commence risk management to survive in flood-prone areas. During the Edo era (1603-1868), people expanded paddy agriculture to all arable land in the islands and tried to protect rice production from endless flood disasters in the same places. An effective flood-fighting scheme was then invented and expanded to nationwide. Its essence was coalition among people, a primary community and a local government. In Japan’s modernization since 1868, traditional social rules have been enshrined into laws. The indigenous scheme for anti-flood measures has been translated into 3 major acts: the Disaster Management Basic Act, the Flood Fighting Act, and the River Act. These acts have been working and evolving, during qualitative transforming of Japanese society due to industrial restructuring, rapid urbanization, population fluidity, etc. Under such a legal infrastructure, the MLIT Himeji Office conducted a pilot program in an inundated community just after a downpour disaster in 2009 to improve local anti-flood measures. Output has indicated the importance of independency and interdependency of self-/mutual/public help. The “tripod” scheme provides recommendations for living with disaster not only in Japan but also in other countries in Asia.

Cite this article as:

H. Matsuki, “Tripod Scheme in Flood Disaster Management in Japan,” J. Disaster Res., Vol.7 No.5, pp. 582-589, 2012.

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References

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[2] T. Okuma, “River history of flood and countermeasures (Kozui to chisui no kasenshi),” Heibonsha, pp. 13-14, 2007 (in Japanese).
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This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.

[1] [1] Director General for Disaster Management, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, “Disaster management in Japan,” p. 38, 2011, http://www.bousai.go.jp/1info/pdf/saigaipanf_e.pdf [accessed at September 21, 2012]

[2] [2] T. Okuma, “River history of flood and countermeasures (Kozui to chisui no kasenshi),” Heibonsha, pp. 13-14, 2007 (in Japanese).

[3] [3] T. Miyamura, “Flood disaster (Suigai),” Chuokoronsha, pp. 209-212, 1985 (in Japanese).

[4] [4] H. Matsuki, T. Esaki, Y. Mitani, and H. Ikemi, “Ancient earthwork implements and land development on Onga River basin,” Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Ser. D2 (Historical Studies), Vol.67, No.1, pp. 1-8, 2011 (in Japanese).

[5] [5] T. Ujitani, “The Chronicle of Japan Continued (Shoku-Nihongi),” Kodansha, pp. (I)27-29, pp. (I)192-193, pp. (II)71-72, 1992 (in Japanese).

[6] [6] H. Oda, “Result and evaluation of Gyoki’s projects,” Magazine Kasen, pp. 64-69, 2007-11 (in Japanese).

[7] [7] M. Inoue, “The Code (Ritsuryo),” Iwanami-shoten, pp. 225, 227, 362, 363, 1976 (in Japanese).

[8] [8] Japan Society of Civil Engineers, “Civil engineering history before Meijii (Meiji-izen Nihon Doboku-shi),” Iwanami-shoten, pp. 6-11, 1936 (in Japanese).

[9] [9] K. Yamamoto, “History of river planning techniques (Kadoukeikaku no gijutu-shi),” Sankaido, pp. 7-19, 1999 (in Japanese).

[10] [10] T. Furushima, “The Farmer’s Common Sense (Hyakusho Denki),” Iwanami-shoten, pp. 187-188, pp. 202-203, 2001.

[11] [11] As , pp. 1635-1638 (in Japanese).

[12] [12] N. Sato, “The Dike and irrigation standard (Teibokoketsushi),” Meizan-kaku, 1800s.

[13] [13] Study team for the Flood Fighting Act, “Commentary on the Flood Fighting Act (Suiboho Chikujo Kaisetsu),” Gyosei, pp. 1-21, pp. 427-440, 2005 (in Japanese).

[14] [14] Investigative commission on damage reduction measures from localized downpours, “Recommendations,” 2011 (in Japanese), http://www.kkr.mlit.go.jp/himeji/higai_kento/pdf/teigen.pdf [accessed at September 21, 2012]

[15] [15] Typhoon Committee, “Final report on flood hazard mapping project,” World Meteorological Organization/TD-No.1519, 2009, http://www.typhooncommittee.org/docs/publications/book1_FHM.pdf [accessed at September 21, 2012]