Japan One Month after the Earthquake (Video Interview with David Edgington)

By Asia Pacific Memo on April 12, 2011

Memo #72

David Edgington – david.edgington [at] geog.ubc.ca

One month after the March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake, we followed up with Japanese geography expert David Edgington. He characterized the first month with emergency response, learning, and information gathering. He says most of the major infrastructure has been reconstructed. But getting food and essential services to those affected remains a constant challenge. In the second month, the recovery stage will begin. This includes removing massive amounts of rubble and improving the health of survivors. There will also be efforts to build temporary housing to accommodate about 150,000 survivors who are in evacuation centres, including school gymnasiums.

While analyzing the tsunami’s impact on farmland, he gives an estimate of how long and what it will take to recover. He describes the nuclear power plant disaster’s impact on agriculture and fisheries and suggested ways to compensate the affected industries. He says eventually there may be a certification system for the food from the affected regions.

About the Interviewee:

David Edgington – Associate Professor, Department of Geography, The University of British Columbia. He teaches courses on Japan and the Pacific Rim.

Part 1 – A month after Japan’s earthquake and tsunami (1:56 min)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL-dEA4owkU[/youtube]

Part 2 – After the first month: challenges to Japan’s recovery (1:42 min)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-KuuqKCRXM[/youtube]

Part 3 – Japan’s proposed budget in response to the disaster (1:24 min)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfBYMawINDM[/youtube]

Part 4 – NGO involvement in the recovery (1:09 min)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzBmmhNJHdE[/youtube]

Part 5 – Farmland affected by the tsunami (1:32 min)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZddkmc4jB8[/youtube]

Part 6 – The nuclear power plant disaster’s impact on agriculture and fisheries (1:16 min)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7y42KLxMII[/youtube]

Links:

Related Memos:

  • Our other Memos about Japan