4/28/14 Earthquake, Tsunami, Meltdown - The Triple Disaster's Impact on Japan, Impact on the World | Brookings Institution

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Elizabeth Ferris and Mireya Sols | March 11, 2013 12:00am

Earthquake, Tsunami, Meltdown - The Triple

Disaster's Impact on Japan, Impact on the
World

Two years ago today, a devastating 9.0 earthquake struck Japans east coast, followed
minutes later by a massive tsunami with 100 foot waves. Japans legendary investment in
earthquake-resistant design meant that only about 100 people died in the earthquake itself
although almost 20,000 people lost their lives in the tsunami. The economic destruction of the
"Triple Disaster" was massive: 138,000 buildings were destroyed and $360 billion in economic
losses were incurred. This was the most expensive disaster in human history. Japanese
response to the earthquake and tsunami was rapid, effective and life-saving. Some 465,000
people were evacuated after the disaster. But it was the meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear
plant the worlds worst global nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986 which caused the
most fear and provoked the greatest criticism of the Japanese governments response.

The Triple Disaster had effects on Japan and on the world.

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4/28/14 Earthquake, Tsunami, Meltdown - The Triple Disaster's Impact on Japan, Impact on the World | Brookings Institution

The economic, political, and social consequences of the Triple Disaster have changed
Japan in fundamental ways. The uprooting of entire communities and the large
infrastructural losses produced immediate disruptions in Japans extensive supply networks.
These in turn caused dramatic drops in industrial production that imposed a toll not only on
Japans economy, but also on the many other countries linked through these production
networks. While Japanese companies creatively restored the supply chains in just a few
months, the shutdown of the nuclear reactors has had far more damaging long-term
economic consequences. Since 3/11 only two nuclear reactors have restarted operations,
and the Japanese government has had to resort to large increases in oil imports to make for
the gap in electricity supply. Consequently, since 3/11 Japan has experienced record trade
deficits, in the order of $78 billion in 2012.

The social and political aftereffects of 3/11 are also formidable. A large citizen
movement calling for the abolition of nuclear power in Japan developed in the aftermath of the
Fukushima disaster. The enactment of more exacting safety standards and the development
of new patterns of government regulation and monitoring of the nuclear industry have emerged
as key topics in the national political debate. On a more positive note, the Triple Disaster also
revealed Japans most valuable asset: the strength of its civil society. The world watched in
awe as Japanese citizens who had lost everything, immediately sprung to help one another.
The dignity, creativity, and orderly response of the Japanese population to this mega disaster
is indeed the best measure of Japans potential. And just as a previous natural disaster, the
Kobe earthquake of 1995, helped spur the NGO movement in Japan, March 11, 2011 has
seen has seen the activation of scores of non-profit groups and the consolidation of a culture
of volunteerism.

However, the reconstruction challenges remain daunting for Japan. Hundreds of thousands of
people are still displaced, the quality of the nuclear cleanup continues to raise concerns, and
the financial cost of rebuilding the Tohoku region is staggering (in its latest stimulus budget,
the Abe government slated $18 billion dollars for this purpose). Japans energy future is also
uncertain as the government has yet to issue a long-term strategy that clarifies the role of
nuclear power in the countrys energy mix.

The effects of the Japanese disaster went far beyond Japan, of course. It served as a warning
that even developed, well-prepared countries are not immune from terrifying disasters. It
illustrated the extremely high economic costs of disasters occurring in developed countries
and the vulnerabilities that come with urbanization and coastal settlement. It served as a

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4/28/14 Earthquake, Tsunami, Meltdown - The Triple Disaster's Impact on Japan, Impact on the World | Brookings Institution

wakeup call to the world that unanticipated disasters (or "black swans") happen and that those
engaged in contingency planning need to be prepared for much more devastating disasters.
Internationally, the fallout of the Fukushima meltdowns for the future of nuclear energy has
been mixed. While immediately after the accident some governments announced plans to
phase out of nuclear energy, others have continued their nuclear planning (although its
probably true that all nuclear plants worldwide looked more seriously at their safeguard
mechanisms in light of Fukushima). Japans tragedy has also led to a re-energizing of
investing in disaster risk reduction strategies.

In October 2012, the Japanese government and the World Bank co-hosted the Sendai
Dialogue to highlight the lessons learned from the disasters and to adopt comprehensive
guidance for reducing risk in other parts of the world. To continue the learning of lessons from
Japan for disaster risk management in Asia, we are organizing a day-long conference at
Brookings on May 10, 2013 to examine the lessons from March 11, 2011, the challenges of
disaster risk management in Asia and, more broadly, strategies for mainstreaming disaster
risk management in development assistance. We hope in a small way to contribute to
continued learning from Japans tragedy and to prevent further tragedies resulting from similar
disasters which occur elsewhere.

Elizabeth Ferris
Co-Director, Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy
@Beth_Ferris

Elizabeth Ferris is the co-director of the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement and a senior fellow
in Foreign Policy, where her work encompasses a wide range of issues related to internal displacement,
humanitarian action, natural disasters and climate change. Her book, The Politics of Protection, examines
the challenges and limitations of protecting vulnerable populations from the ravages of war and natural
disasters.
More Posts from Beth > | View Expert Page >

Mireya Sols
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center for East Asia Policy Studies
Philip Knight Chair in Japan Studies
@solis_msolis

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4/28/14 Earthquake, Tsunami, Meltdown - The Triple Disaster's Impact on Japan, Impact on the World | Brookings Institution

Mireya Sols is the Philip Knight Chair in Japan Studies and senior fellow at the Brookings Center for East
Asia Policy Studies, and associate professor at American University. An expert in Japans foreign economic
policies, Sols earned a Ph.D. in government and an M.A. in East Asian studies from Harvard University, and
a B.A. in international relations from El Colegio de Mxico. Her main research interests include Japanese
politics, political economy and foreign policy; international and comparative political economy; international
relations; and government-business relations. She also has interests in broader issues in U.S.-Japan
relations and East Asian multilateralism.
More Posts from Mireya > | View Expert Page >

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