Post-disaster recovery in ageing and declining communities: the Great East Japan disaster of 11 March 2011

The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown that occurred in Japan's north-eastern Tohoku region on 11 March 2011 has become known as the Great East Japan Disaster, and represents the most serious emergency to have been faced by the Japanese people since the end of the Second World War. More than two years have elapsed since the disaster and a clearer picture of the recovery process is now emerging. This article presents case studies of two of the settlements that experienced the full force of the tsunami by describing and analysing reconstruction planning in a region that had a rapidly ageing and shrinking population prior to 2011. After describing differences in the settlements' experience of the disaster according to their physical and human geographies, the article then analyses post-disaster reconstruction plans. Although plans show commendable ambition in seeking to rebuild shattered communities, there is a danger of creating unrealistic expectations in settlements where ageing and depopulation processes appear to be accelerating.