University of Chicago Press Black Wave – How Networks and Governance Shaped Japan`s 3/11 Disasters

Despite the devastation caused by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and 60-foot tsunami that struck Japan in 2011, some 96% of those living and working in the most disaster-stricken region of Tohoku made it through. Smaller earthquakes and tsunamis have killed far more people in nearby China and India. What accounts for the exceptionally high survival rate? And why is it that some towns and cities in the Tohoku region have built back more quickly than others? Black Wave illuminates two critical factors that had a direct influence on why survival rates varied so much across the Tohoku region following the 3/11 disasters and why the rebuilding process has also not moved in lockstep across the region. Individuals and communities with stronger networks and better governance, Daniel P. Aldrich shows, had higher survival rates and accelerated recoveries. Less connected communities with fewer such ties faced harder recovery processes and lower survival rates. Beyond the individual and neighborhood levels of survival and recovery, the rebuilding process has varied greatly, as some towns and cities have sought to work independently on rebuilding plans, ignoring recommendations from the national governments and moving quickly to institute their own visions, while others have followed the guidelines offered by Tokyo-based bureaucrats for economic development and rebuilding. Review "Aldrich's book is an important contribution to our understanding of the role of social capital and formal governance in disaster response and rebuilding.His multiple method approach adds depth to our knowledge of the triple disasters. Aldrich presents his analysis with open eyes to the challenges and complexities in providing disaster relief and further highlights these by offering international comparisons." -- "The Review of Austrian Economics" "Daniel Aldrich's Black Wave is a robust account of the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. . . . Black Wave is a useful resource for those who know very little about the events of 3.11 and are looking for a broad introduction. It is also beneficial for those who are already knowledgeable about the disaster but would like to delve deeper into the complex factors involved in the response and recovery. This book is approachable for an undergraduate course while at the same time carrying enough scholarly weight for use in graduate seminars. I would recommend Black Wave to those who are teaching disaster management, sociology of disasters, or a sociology course that explores the idea of social capital. In addition, the events of 3.11 have inspired fundamental changes to facets of Japanese government, and so this book is also of value to scholars of Japan in general."-- "Japan Review" "I recommend Black Wave to anyone interested in the social dynamics of mass disaster and resilience. The book is detailed without being dry; and, it is thorough without being dense. Thus, it would work well in both graduate and undergraduate seminars."-- "Social Forces" "Stuffed full of vignettes, statistics and real-life examples from not only the 3/11 aftermath, Black Wave makes a worthwhile contribution to the field of disaster management and recovery planning by linking social capital to long-term recovery."--Louise Elstow "Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia" "'3/11' was the most catastrophic event in Japan's postwar history. The magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people and caused multiple reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant. Given its scale, diversity, complexity, and severity, no one has yet been able to fully comprehend the picture of the 3/11 disaster and the recovery process. However, Daniel P. Aldrich, an American political scientist and the author of Black Wave: How Network and Governance Shaped Japan's 3/11 Disasters, has managed to accomplish this difficult task in his book."--Shingo Nagamatsu "Social Science Japan Journal