Disasters and Social Crisis in Contemporary Japan

Barbara Ambros, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Simon Avenell, Australian National University. Tim Graf, Heidelberg University, Germany, and Tohoku University, Japan. Phoebe Holdgrün, German Institute for Japanese Studies, Japan. Barbara Holthus, University of Vienna, Austria. Rikki Kersten, Murdoch University, Australia. Love Kindstrand, University of Chicago, USA. Jeff Kingston, Temple University, Japan. Keiko Nishimura, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Rumi Sakamoto, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Ria Shibata, University of Otago, New Zealand. David H. Slater, Sophia University, Japan. Rebecca Suter, University of Sydney, Australia.

'How has Japanese society responded to the 11 March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters? What is the difference between the post-3.11 developments and those that followed the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and Aum Shinriky? disasters of 1995? What is the relationship between these events and the nationalistic initiatives advanced by the Liberal Democratic Party? This is a timely collection of essays that addresses these questions and examines the diverse Japanese responses to recent disasters.' - Shimazono Susumu, Sophia University, Japan 'Japan is no stranger to natural disasters. But the triple disasters of 11 March 2011 have deeply affected Japan as a whole, creating a ferment in which the centre often seems at odds with the periphery. The authors of this superb volume critically examine the political, religious, social and cultural responses, where grass roots activism challenges official complacency and assumptions about right to rule.' - Arthur Stockwin, Nissan Institute, University of Oxford, UK

• Introduction; Mark R. Mullins and Koichi Nakano PART I: POLITICAL RESPONSES 1. New Right Transformation in Japan; Koichi Nakano 2. Military Force as Social Good: The Legacies of Operation Tomodachi; Rikki Kersten 3. Downsizing Fukushima and Japan's Nuclear Re-launch; Jeff Kingston 4. Japan's Identity Crisis and the Sino-Japanese Relations; Ria Shibata PART II: RELIGIOUS RESPONSES 5. Neo-Nationalism, Politics, and Religion in Post-disaster Japan; Mark R. Mullins 6. Mobilizing Gratitude: Contextualizing Tenrikyo's Response after the Great East Japan Earthquake; Barbara Ambros 7. Buddhist Responses to the 3.11 Disasters in Japan; Tim Graf PART III: SOCIAL RESPONSES 8. Kobe 1995: Crisis, Volunteering, and Active Citizenship in Japan; Simon Avenell 9. Crisis and Opportunity: Social Media in Kobe, Tohoku, and Tokyo; David Slater, Love Kindstrand, and Keiko Nishimura 10. Babysteps Towards Advocacy: Mothers Against Radiation; Phoebe Holdgrun and Barbara Holthus PART IV: CULTURAL RESPONSES 11. Kobayashi Yoshinori, 3.11, and Datsu Genpatsu Ron; Rumi Sakamoto 12. Beyond Kizuna: Murakami Haruki on Disaster and Social Crisis; Rebecca Suter