International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University Uehiro Disaster Risk Reduction Research Division

I specialize in modern Japanese history, focusing on the evolution of systems that sustain “living” — understood as the ways people support and maintain their lives — as a central theme.

I investigate how medical, welfare, and social security systems changed between the 1930s and 1960s, and how communities constructed social relationships to support living, tracing the evolution of agency and institutionalization. From a regional social history perspective, I also explore the interplay between institutions and people, including demographic issues.

In disaster-prone Japan, I examine strategies for preserving historical materials at risk of loss due to large-scale natural disasters, as well as methods to transmit newly emerging disaster records created from survivors’ experiences.

Studying history is not only a way of understanding the past but also a way of preparing for the future. In alignment with the aspirations of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, my work aims to contribute to societal resilience by learning from the history of past disasters. Through my activities in the Uehiro Disaster Risk Reduction Research Division, I strive to apply historical insights to contemporary disaster risk reduction.