Research Theme
Research on comprehensive community revitalization using disaster research
Research Director
ASAKAWA, Tatsuto
Faculty of Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences
Project Members
- ASAKAWA, Tatsuto Professor, School of Human Sciences
- HIRAHARA, Yuki Assistant Professor(non-tenure-track), School of Human Sciences
- MURATA, Akiko Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences
- NISHIKIDO, Makoto Professor, School of Culture, Media and Society
- SODA, Osamu Professor, School of Social Sciences
- ASANO, Sachiko
- GAMBE, Nayuta
- GRAU VILA, Carmen
- KAWAZOE, Saori
- MATSUMURA, Osamu
- NISHINO, Yoshimi
- NOZAKA, Shin
- OYANE, Jun
- SASANO, Etsuko
- TADA, Mitsuhiro
- YOKOTA, Naotoshi
- YOSHIKAWA, Tadahiro
Research Keywords
Local communities, disasters, recovery, daily life
Research Summary
In a society facing population decline, various social events—such as natural disasters, environmental degradation, pandemics, and other crises—frequently trigger the fragmentation of relationships that have been cultivated within local communities. Thesedisruptions often lead directly to the widening of social disparities, particularly among marginalized populations. While population decline unfolds gradually over time, and disasters or pandemics bring about rapid transformations, both types of phenomena reveal qualitatively similar social problems despite their differing temporal scales.
Disasters such as the Great East Japan Earthquake have exposed the fragility of our social foundations and highlighted the multifaceted issues confronting contemporary society. At the same time, responses to individuals and groups affected by such crises reflect the unique characteristics of Japanese society. Designing and implementing realistic and effective support systems for daily life—tailored to individuals’ physical and mental conditions and their meso-level environments (such as families, workplaces, schools, and local communities)—is a critical research objective. Furthermore, examining the evolution of these support systems can help uncover the structural distortions and latent issues embedded in modern Japanese society.
This research institute aims to elucidate the underlying dynamics of these ongoing societal
crises. It also seeks to investigate and analyze how long-term economic downturns, large-scale disasters, and pandemics transcend national boundaries, causing profound disruptions to everyday life, deepening social divisions, and transforming the mechanisms and principles of social organization—ultimately threatening the foundations of democratic norms.
From fiscal year 2024, this institute has been conducting a four-year research project funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) under the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), titled “A Study on the Progression of Social Disparities and Their Consequences in a Society Experiencing Population Decline” (Project No. 24H00157, Principal Investigator: Tatsuto Asakawa). As this project aligns closely with the institute’s core
research theme, it will be pursued vigorously through its final year in 2027.
