This book was written in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. This chapter serves as an introduction to the entire book. The contents of this chapter are, first, the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the current status of reconstruction. The damage situation is compared with that of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. From this, we extract the characteristics of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Second, it outlines the reconstruction plan of the government and Miyagi Prefecture in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake. From these, we point out issues and challenges related to recovery and reconstruction policies. In particular, it points out that recovery and reconstruction policies are similar to the contents of previous regional policies. Third, it outlines and characterizes the five articles included in the book and indicates the contributions of each article.