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3.11: Disaster and Change in Japan
On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by the shockwaves of a 9.0 magnitude undersea earthquake originating less than 50 miles off its eastern coastline. The most powerful earthquake to have hit Japan in recorded history, it produced a devastating tsunami with waves reaching heights of over 130 feet that in turn caused an unprecedented multireactor meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This triple catastrophe claimed almost 20,000 lives, destroyed whole towns, and will ultimately cost hundreds of billions of dollars for reconstruction.
In 3.11, Richard Samuels offers the first broad scholarly assessment of the disaster's impact on Japan's government and society. The events of March 2011 occurred after two decades of social and economic malaise as well as considerable political and administrative dysfunction at both the national and local levels and resulted in national soul-searching. Political reformers saw in the tragedy cause for hope: an opportunity for Japan to remake itself. Samuels explores Japan's post-earthquake actions in three key sectors: national security, energy policy, and local governance. For some reformers, 3.11 was a warning for Japan to overhaul its priorities and political processes. For others, it was a once-in-a-millennium event; they cautioned that while national policy could be improved, dramatic changes would be counterproductive. Still others declared that the catastrophe demonstrated the need to return to an idealized past and rebuild what has been lost to modernity and globalization.
Samuels chronicles the battles among these perspectives and analyzes various attempts to mobilize popular support by political entrepreneurs who repeatedly invoked three powerfully affective themes: leadership, community, and vulnerability. Assessing reformers successes and failures as they used the catastrophe to push their particular agendas and by examining the earthquake and its aftermath alongside prior disasters in Japan, China, and the United States Samuels outlines Japan s rhetoric of crisis and shows how it has come to define post-3.11 politics and public policy."
In 3.11, Richard Samuels offers the first broad scholarly assessment of the disaster's impact on Japan's government and society. The events of March 2011 occurred after two decades of social and economic malaise as well as considerable political and administrative dysfunction at both the national and local levels and resulted in national soul-searching. Political reformers saw in the tragedy cause for hope: an opportunity for Japan to remake itself. Samuels explores Japan's post-earthquake actions in three key sectors: national security, energy policy, and local governance. For some reformers, 3.11 was a warning for Japan to overhaul its priorities and political processes. For others, it was a once-in-a-millennium event; they cautioned that while national policy could be improved, dramatic changes would be counterproductive. Still others declared that the catastrophe demonstrated the need to return to an idealized past and rebuild what has been lost to modernity and globalization.
Samuels chronicles the battles among these perspectives and analyzes various attempts to mobilize popular support by political entrepreneurs who repeatedly invoked three powerfully affective themes: leadership, community, and vulnerability. Assessing reformers successes and failures as they used the catastrophe to push their particular agendas and by examining the earthquake and its aftermath alongside prior disasters in Japan, China, and the United States Samuels outlines Japan s rhetoric of crisis and shows how it has come to define post-3.11 politics and public policy."
294 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 11, 2014
The author explores security, energy policy and local government administration in the wake of the 3.11 disaster in Japan. Each of those topics are discussed within the context of three narratives. Taking energy policy as an example to illustrate how each of the narratives work: 1) 'put it in gear', which implies a dramatic change from the status quo, in pursuit of alternative energy strategy to the exclusion of nuclear power; 2) 'stay the course', which as its name implies, argues for preserving nuclear power but drawing key lessons learned to make nuclear power safer; and 3) 'go back to a simpler life', discard nuclear power, shun 'Western' values of technological modernization and re-embrace Japan's love and respect for nature with man being one with nature, instead of subordinating nature to mankind's interests which has proven a reckless strategy as demonstrated by 3.11. Readers will be introduced to 'heroes' and 'villains' in the nuclear energy sector, those for or against nuclear power, how the nuclear energy industry came to acquire immense status and power, all explained in the derogatory concept of the 'nuclear village'. The work of the 3.11 first responders may be over, but the work of the business community, citizens, industry, academia, the media, and the government continues till this day. What role, and in what shape and form, will security, energy policy and government each adopt going forward? Anyone interested in Japan's future around these 3 critical areas should read this book.
May 12, 2017
Call this history right after it happens. 3.11: Disaster and Change in Japan attempts to dissect what's happened in Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011.
Written at a distance of two years, Author Richard Samuels looks at three broad areas - the role of the military, energy policy (especially nuclear), and how local government operates.
In each of these he charts out the debate about change, some of the steps that have been taken, and where Japan stands two years later. It seems that one of the greatest disasters in modern times wasn't large enough to drive wholesale change across the country, but it set off smaller changes that may - or may not - have major impacts. At writing it was just too soon to tell. Maybe so even now four years later.
It's also fascinating to see that no matter the country, the history, or the challenge, that politics tends to be the same at its core.
Written at a distance of two years, Author Richard Samuels looks at three broad areas - the role of the military, energy policy (especially nuclear), and how local government operates.
In each of these he charts out the debate about change, some of the steps that have been taken, and where Japan stands two years later. It seems that one of the greatest disasters in modern times wasn't large enough to drive wholesale change across the country, but it set off smaller changes that may - or may not - have major impacts. At writing it was just too soon to tell. Maybe so even now four years later.
It's also fascinating to see that no matter the country, the history, or the challenge, that politics tends to be the same at its core.
January 13, 2014
I had the good fortune to finish reading this just an hour before I saw the author give a lecture at my local used book store. Anyone not familiar with Japanese government ministries and politicians would be totally at sea, I think, if they tried to read this book. For expats and ex-expats in Japan, however, I think this book -- a penetrating look at how surprisingly little substantive change arose from what many expected to be a transformative crisis in Japan -- should be required reading.
March 12, 2021
I meant to read this book years ago, and part of me still wishes that I had. Written within a couple years of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown, many of his questions probably have more answers now, and there were times when I wondered if I wasn't wasting my time reading a dated book. And yet, as I got further into it (and as I spent a week immersed in looking back at that time and reflecting on what has changed), I found real value in the information Samuels provided. While I would still like more updated information, I felt this snapshot also started filling in knowledge gaps that I hadn't reflected on much before, and it will give me a stronger base for evaluating the progress that has been made.
January 13, 2018
A well-balanced overview of the various narratives emerging from 3.11. Instead of taking sides, Samuels reveals the strengths and weaknesses of different interpretations regarding the triple disaster. An excellent book for those interested in 3.11, Japanese politics, or the politics of crisis management.
March 20, 2016
Samuels traces the effect of the 3.11 earthquake, tsunami and meltdown on three main areas of Japanese political and social life. Tracing the military, nuclear industry/energy market and local governments he presents the reactions of the people, those who want to kick changes into gear, those who want to stay the course and those who want to return to an idealized past.
Why I started this book: Living in Japan, I thought that this would be a perfect book to read this month, to better understand the disaster of five years ago. Plus it was mentioned in a review of Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival as a better review of the event.
Why I finished it: I need to stop recommending books for Book Club that I have not read. While this was fascinating it was also a lot denser than I was expecting... and since our turn out was low, I'm not sure that many people finished it either.
Why I started this book: Living in Japan, I thought that this would be a perfect book to read this month, to better understand the disaster of five years ago. Plus it was mentioned in a review of Bending Adversity: Japan and the Art of Survival as a better review of the event.
Why I finished it: I need to stop recommending books for Book Club that I have not read. While this was fascinating it was also a lot denser than I was expecting... and since our turn out was low, I'm not sure that many people finished it either.
March 16, 2016
The book was factual and described the events of 3/11: Japan's undersea earthquake, subsequent tsunami and multi reactor meltdown at Fukushima. It just wasn't my thing and I skimmed through not really finishing it.
June 24, 2013
This is one of the good books I want to reread all over again (:
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews