The Characteristics and Importance of Japanese Disaster Sociology: Perspectives from Regional and Community Studies in Japan

This article aims to establish the position of disaster sociology in Japan— primarily conducted by sociologists in the field of regional and community studies—as a significant reference for disaster research, worldwide. The literature on resilience, which is an important thematic component of disaster research, is a significant area of contribution within Japanese disaster sociology. This article provides an overview of the research on resilience within disaster sociology, followed by a discussion of four related dimensions: (1) economic development, (2) information and communication, (3) community competence, and (4) social capital. Subsequently, the article focuses on two characteristics of Japanese disaster sociology—a heuristic approach and a social vision— that are typically applied in resilience research. Both of these characteristics provide clues for bridging the discontinuity between the broader discipline of sociology and disaster sociology.