Natural Disaster and Reconstruction in Asian Economies : A Global Synthesis of Shared Experiences

Based on conference proceedings presented at The Chinese University of Hong Kong in November 2012, Natural Disaster and Reconstruction in Asian Economies offers leading insight into and viewpoints on disasters from scholars and journalists working in Japan, China, the United States, and Southeast Asia. The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 left the entire world in a state of shock. The international community was unable to fathom how a major economic power, with one of the most extensive natural disaster preparedness programs in the world, could be laid bare to such destruction. Even other highly developed countries began questioning their own abilities to handle natural disasters. Different nations have faced disasters of varying intensity throughout history, and it is in the best interests of the global community to share experiences and wisdom in order to minimize damage wrought by future catastrophes. Based on conference proceedings presented at The Chinese University of Hong Kong in November 2012, Natural Disaster and Reconstruction in Asian Economies offers leading insight into and viewpoints on disasters from scholars and journalists working in Japan, China, the United States, and Southeast Asia. Yau Shuk-ting focuses on a broader scope of disasters, such as political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental crises, as well as psychological traumas. This work gathers together international wisdom from a variety of perspectives in the hope that nations will be better able to manage future disasters and their economic and cultural fallout Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Fukushima Nuclear Accident and the People’s Tribunal on Nuclear Power....Pages 3-16 Them versus Us: Japanese and International Reporting of the Fukushima Nuclear Crisis....Pages 17-34 The Evolution of Disaster Volunteering in Japan: From Kobe to Tohoku....Pages 35-50 Religious Responses to Natural Disasters: From Hurricane Katrina to the Great East Japan Earthquake....Pages 51-66 Chinese Reactions to Disasters in Japan: From the Great Kanto Earthquake to the Great East Japan Earthquake....Pages 67-75 Front Matter....Pages 77-77 Bombs Bursting in Air: State and Citizen Responses to the US Firebombing and Atomic Bombing of Japan....Pages 79-109 Searching Reality in Virtuality: Fantasy as A Way Out for Twenty-First-Century Japan....Pages 111-125 Who Killed Our Children?: The Anatomy of a Protest Film....Pages 127-143 The Unsettled Hearts and Souls: Aftershock of the Great Sichuan Earthquake....Pages 145-150 The Making of a Cantonese Popular Song amidst National Crises in China: From Jiang Jun Ling to “Once Upon a Time in China”....Pages 151-170 Front Matter....Pages 171-171 Reestablishing National Identity by Reevaluating A Nation’s Past—A University’s Effort to Recover from War in the Late 1990s Cambodia: An Ethnographic Account....Pages 173-183 From Typhoon Ondoy to the Unnamed Monsoon (2009–2012): Policy Reforms and Challenges in the Philippine Disaster Management System....Pages 185-199 Who Protects Our Lives?: Managing Crises and Social Security in Socialist Laos and Japan....Pages 201-215 Back Matter....Pages 217-222 "The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 left the entire world in a state of shock. The international community was unable to fathom how a major economic power, with one of the most extensive natural disaster preparedness programs in the world, could be laid bare to such destruction. Even other highly developed countries began questioning their own ability to handle natural disasters. Different nations have faced disasters of varying intensity throughout history, yet it is in the best interests of the global community to share experiences and wisdom in order to minimize damage wrought by future catastrophes. Based on conference proceedings presented at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in November 2012, Natural Disaster and Reconstruction in Asian Economies offers leading insight into and viewpoints on disasters from scholars and journalists working in Japan, China, the United States, and Southeast Asia. Yau focuses on a broader scope of disasters, such as political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental crises, as well as psychological traumas. This work gathers together international wisdom from a variety of perspectives in the hope that nations will be better able to manage future disasters and their economic and cultural fallout"-- Provided by publisher