Three Years After a Mega-disaster: Recovery Policies, Programs and Implementation After the Great East Japan Earthquake - Post-Tsunami Hazard: Reconstruction and Restoration - page 39

3.3.2 The Provision of Temporary Housing

3.3.2.1 Japan's Approach to Temporary Housing

In Japan, temporary housing is funded by the national government, constructed by
the prefectural government, and managed by local government. Local governments
also select the benefi ciaries. Most units are smaller than 30 square meters and
intended for 2 years of use, although this can be extended. After the 1995 Kobe
Earthquake, many people lived in temporary housing for 5 years. After the GEJE,
the limit has already been extended several times, currently until March 2015; and
in Fukushima Prefecture it has already been extended until March 2016. Since tem-
porary housing is intended to provide for housing needs before permanent housing
is rebuilt, the long time required for the large scale reconstruction in the Tohoku
region means displaced residents will continue to live in temporary housing for a
number of years to come.
Lessons from past temporary housing experiences after the 1995 Kobe and 2004
Niigata Chuetsu earthquakes. The temporary housing challenges following the
1995 Kobe Earthquake are well known. In Kobe, temporary housing was awarded
using a lottery system with priority given to the elderly and other vulnerable resi-
dents. This intention to support vulnerable people is commendable, but caused a
scattering of former communities and a separation of residents from pre-existing
local support systems. Built on land available to Kobe City, much of the temporary
housing was located some distance from former communities and inconvenient for
school, work and daily life routines. Many of the younger, working age people and
families chose not to move into temporary housing, which together with the priority
system, resulted in a concentration of largely elderly and vulnerable people. One
troubling phenomenon was 'solitary death', where disaster survivors withdrew from
society entirely, and died without anyone noticing; it persisted even after residents
moved into permanent public housing. Efforts were made to provide social services
and address these issues in Kobe. Following the 2004 Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake
which struck a rural mountainous area in Niigata Prefecture, local and regional
governments made a concerted effort to keep residents together throughout the
recovery process, from evacuation, temporary housing, and into the permanent
reconstruction phase.

3.3.2.2 Temporary Housing Challenges in the Tohoku Region

Providing large numbers of temporary housing units after the GEJE has been a
complex challenge spanning many municipalities and multiple prefectures, and
occurring in the context of a vast area and scale of disaster damage and a limited
availability of buildable land. Multiple governments involved at different levels and
varied social and geographical contexts have resulted in a wide variety of temporary
housing.