Challenges in Promoting All-Hazard Approach in Japan: Institutional Arrangements for Managing Cascading Effects

Societal and climate change are increasing disaster risks. As the world becomes more interconnected, disasters disrupt socioeconomic activities on a global scale more severely. The COVID-19 pandemic became a global disaster on a scale that transcended ecological regions, national borders, economies, and societies. The pandemic has impacted a wide range of social and economic sectors and shut down core businesses, leading to a worldwide recession. Countries need to develop capacity in terms of disaster risk reduction to cope with complexity, novelty, ambiguity, and uncertainty that characterize modern disasters. An all-hazard approach could respond to various hazards in an integrated manner. This study investigates the issues of taking such an approach through examining discussions over policies and institutions in Japan. In-depth interviews were conducted with government officers and researchers in September 2022. Government reports and academic papers were reviewed. Japan has improved the policies and institutions that respond to emerging hazards. The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011 caused cascading effects on sensitive facilities and became a highly complex phenomenon. The tsunami damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, leading to disruption of energy supply, environmental deterioration, and threats to public health. Direct damage to major industries affected industrial production through the dense networks of supply chains around the world. To respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan, like other countries, is improving the systems of managing epidemics. The country has established no comprehensive legislation of emergency management but practically manages this based on the segregated laws of managing disasters, nuclear accidents, influenza and epidemic, and armed conflicts. While the Cabinet Secretariat leads the responses to emergencies affecting human lives and assets, four offices in the government are mandated separately to manage these events. Line ministries and agencies have accumulated knowledge on disaster management by disaster type and trained staff.