Based on the accumulated data within the previous chapter the following results are evident: 1. Within the “Ring of Fire”, Japan is located on top of three major tectonic plates, where four oceanic or continental plates meet. Unfortunately, Japan’s topology is mostly mountainous and only 25% of the grounds provide areas for settlement and industrial complexes; this leads to extremely high densities in small areas, which makes Japan one of the most volatile places on earth. 2. Especially during the last decade the globe and especially Japan has seen increased occurrences of volcano eruptions, landslides, floods, droughts, cyclones, windstorms, tidal waves and landslides and earthquakes. Adding more dynamics to the overall natural hazard risks are the potential outcomes of climate change. 3. Obviously, natural hazards only turn into natural disasters where amassing population numbers reside in areas of enhanced natural hazards risks. Besides the theoretical possibility to abandon such zones, the goal – not just for Japan, but for other regions as well – should be to predict, forecast or at least warn from imminent risks. 4. In regards to the natural hazard by earthquakes, nearly 1,500 earthquakes per year shake Japan and magnitudes larger than M 4 are routine; Japan was hit by 20 % of the most powerful earthquakes in known history. Currently almost 2,000 active faults are monitored in Japan, but, as previous earthquakes unfortunately proved, there must be many other, so far unknown, active faults in the region! 5. Earthquakes in Japan can be divided into earthquakes close to or within tectonic plate boundaries (subduction zone earthquakes and tectonic plate earthquakes) and earthquakes on land or in coastal regions (mostly in fault... ... middle of paper ... ...the other hand, better technologies (e.g. better global elevation models) as well as additional knowledge of historical earthquakes will further broaden the data basis. For the time being, and even tough highly criticised by some scientists, Japan’s approach based on GSHAP principles seems to be valid. At least it will provide some hints in which areas to focus risk reduction measures. Today and based on the currently available model, I think, Japan (and the rest of the pragmatic scientists) are on the right path, by concentrating mainly on five areas including the Tokai region (southwest region of Tokyo) and Tokyo itself; nevertheless, the scientific community needs to be very cautious about how they communicate in a socially adapted manner. But, the urgency to improve matters doesn’t decline as the figure of earthquake occurrences for the last month illustrates.
Earthquakes, by Webster’s dictionary definition, are, “a shaking or trembling of the earth that is volcanic or tectonic in origin.” World Book Encyclopedia reports scientists believe that more than 8,000 earthquakes occur each day without causing damage. A little more than 1,000 each year are strong enough to be felt. Earthquakes occur in the general sense, anywhere on land. Other earthquakes go by different names, such as volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, large tidal wave storms that occur underwater, primarily in the Pacific Ocean.
Earthquakes happen about 20,000 times a year worldwide. They can destroy almost anything.In 2011, Japan had 9.1 magnitude earthquake, close to the highest magnitude of 9.2 in Alaska. They suffered tremendous damage from such a strong earthquake. The year before Haiti suffered from a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, still quite high compared to small tremors at magnitude 0-2. Japan recovered and rebuilt much faster than haiti did though. Haiti isn't even quite done recovering yet. The earthquakes had such different effects on the countries because of their economy, the condition of their people, and population rates.
Conflicts can arise when people have to share land. For years, people have blocked plans to extend the airport. One way to make better use of land in Japan is to make taller buildings. Though this is very difficult in an active earthquake zone. So the state banned buildings to a safer height. Today the Japanese build buildings upward using earthquake-resistant building techniques. These buildings can now withstand severe shaking.
James, Charles D. "The 1923 Tokyo Earthquake and Fire." University of California, 8 Oct. 2002. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .
On March 11, 2011natural destruction raged the small island nation of Japan. With a massive earthquake and tsunami caused equipment damage that eventually lead to destruction of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. During the earthquake and tsunami three nuclear reactors were destroyed. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused damage all over the island and still 2 years later Japan is struggling to get back on its feet. People were forced to leave their homes and possessions behind as the Japanese government tried to correct the damage done by the tsunami and earthquake. With not only the country hurting, its natives hurt for normalcy. The road to recovery is a long one but one must look at the steps taken so far to return Japan back to where it once was.
The convergence of three separate disasters in Fukushima Prefecture – earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis – is not only inimitable in terms of its magnitude and complication, but also about the complex interaction of health problems to which it may have given birth. The major Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) earthquake of 1995 that ultimately resulted in the deaths of over 6,000 people showed that in Japan disasters can affect separate population groups with varying severity and that the senior population are markedly vulnerable. For many villages, such as Iitate in Fukushima Prefecture, May 2011 was the last chance to attain information on the health of the inhabitants before the enactment of a compulsory governmental evacuation order at the end of
Unlike other disasters the risk of Tsunamis to populated areas, and the combined destructive force of the initial earthquake coupled with the unprecedented force of an even more destructive tidal surge in conjunction with the impending impact on and with our civilization can result in unprecedented natural disasters.
No communities or states are immune from disasters. A natural or man-made disaster can happen at any time and the impact can be devastating and overwhelming. It can affect citizen’s livelihoods and environment in a matter of second. The government has implemented various types of hazard reduction programs over the past several years to reduce or minimize the loss of life, injuries and property losses caused by the destruction of these disasters.
Japan is a country which has experienced massive growth and sudden modernization politically and economically. The country’s growth, however, did not spring from nowhere. Japan as it is today is a result of many events that led to the rise and collapse of multiple government systems and economic customs from the 1600s to post-World War Two. Japan began as an island country with a feudal system. Society was structured in a hierarchical pattern underneath an emperor and many Shoguns, who ruled over parts of the land.
Japan is crowded with its 130 million people would be an understatement. But add that to the fact that seventy-five percent of the nation is hilly or mountainous, and the wide open spaces for ...
The Tohoku earthquake caused by the movement of the Pacific plate slides underneath the Eurasia plate at the rate of three inches per year, associated with Japan Trench
Climate change is an inevitable phenomenon that is being experienced globally in various forms, such as temperature rise. Sea level rise, droughts, floods, hurricanes, landslides, etc. According to the fourth assessment report of the IPCC project, even with immediate implementation of mitigation strategies, global climate change will continue for decades. Climate change is inflicting serious consequences on human wellbeing and will continue to inflict damage in the future. It is estimated that global temperature will rise by 1.8 oC - 4.0 oC by the end of the 21st century (Izaurraade, 2009).
There was a multitude of causes of the disaster in Japan. The first cause was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred off the coast of Japan. Japan is located in “The Ring of Fire,” an area in the Pacific Ocean that has multiple faults and earthquakes (Pedersen 13). Tectonic plates shifted off the North Pacific coast of Japan and created a massive earthquake. The next cause was a thirty-three foot wall of water that swept over cities and farmland in Japan (Branigan 2). Martin Fackler, a journalist, stated, “The quake churned up a devastating tsunami” (Fackler 3). The tsunami reached speeds of 497 miles per hour while approaching Japan (Fackler 3). The third and final reason of the disaster was that the cooling systems at multiple nuclear power plants failed. At Fukushima, a nuclear power plant in Sendai, Japan, the radioactive rods began to overheat due to the absence of water, which cools it. Explosions occurred at three of the reactors, which spewed radiation into the air (“Comparing nuclear power plant crises”). In conclusion, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant issues were the causes of the disaster in Japan, but they also had a myriad of effects.
However, Nakagawa (2009) also noted that although people live in frequent natural disasters such as floods and typhoons, they do not take proper action. For example, only 10% of people had evacuated to safer locations when the Tokage typhoon hit Japan, in Toyooka city. Some argue that level of preparedness is most likely affected by direct experience of the disaster (Tierney, 1993).
Earthquakes belong to the class of most disastrous natural hazards. They result in unexpected and tremendous earth movements. These movements results from dissemination of an enormous amount of intense energy in form of seismic waves which are detected by use of seismograms. The impact of earthquakes leaves behind several landmarks including: destruction of property, extensive disruption of services like sewer and water lines, loss of life, and causes instability in both economic and social components of the affected nation (Webcache 2).