Attempts toward creative reconstruction using arts relocation and reconstruction supported by insurance 2011 × New Zealand

This paper will take up the Canterbury earthquake in New Zealand, which occurred in 2011, as an example for discussing the creative reconstruction. Its main characteristics were summarized into the following 3 points. Firstly, the self-help-centric solutions based on the enhancing of insurance have been addressed. Secondly, in conjunction with the aforementioned issue, mobility of the population is high and many people have moved out of the affected area after the disaster. Thirdly, reconstructions using works of art have been attempted at the most disaster-stricken area. The reason why works of art have been made in the affected area is that many spaces such as vacant lots and walls which could not be immediately reconstructed became available for use after building collapses and mass move-outs of many individuals, families, and companies. The background behind the high rate of moving out and relocation of people can be accounted for by the enhancing of the insurance system in New Zealand society, and the alliance between the government, such as CERA (Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority), and civil society. What the example from New Zealand demonstrates is that temporary art in affected areas has the power to provide vibrancy to scenery which looked to have fallen behind in reconstruction, and to convert the area into a place where people could gather again

Relations of Language and Identity : Examining the eff ects of Mandarin education in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China

This paper discusses how, if at all, Mandarin education aff ects Uyghur students in terms of the potential correlation between language and identity in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Xinjiang is located in the north-west part of China and it has been experiencing violent incidents against government policies recently. The Communist Party of China (CPC) has applied various social policies with the aim of achieving a “harmonious society” through “ethnic unity” under the “Chinese nation” as a response to those incidents. Mandarin education is one of the ways CPC employs to achieve ethnic unity. In Xinjiang, the importance of acquiring Mandarin language is stressed to ethnic minorities, like Uyghur who are mostly Muslim. Through literature reviews, a site visit, and interviews with Uyghur, this paper reveals infl uence of Mandarin education on Uyghur-Han ethnic group relations and Uyghur identity. It also explores the validity of Mandarin education as means to realize ethnic unity and a so-called harmonious society. Language and identity are closely related to each other. For instance, language determines ethnic identity and identity encourages its holder to learn language. Mandarin education segregates Uyghur and Han and strengthens Uyghur identity because of this correlation. As this form of education differentiates Uyghur from Han and emphasizes the difference of Uyghur ethnic identity, current education overemphasizing Mandarin is not appropriate as means to achieve CPC’s goal of ethnic unity and a harmonious society. If the CPC wants to realize harmonious society as a multi-ethnic country, it should introduce education which esteems minority language and culture, and should promote mutual understanding from both the minority side and the majority Han side. In harmonious societies and multiethnic states, each ethnic group maintains its traditional language and culture. Minorities and Han should seek to understand one another through ongoing interactions and mutual acceptance of their cultural differences

Building Disaster Resilience from the Perspective of Disaster Prevention in Mass Relocation Communities in China : Two Case Examples in Sichuan

Sichuan Province, located in Southwest China, is frequently aff ected by natural disasters. Earthquakes above magnitude 6.0 struck Sichuan four times between years 2008 and 2020. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, China began promoting community disaster risk reduction (DRR) projects at the national, provincial and municipal levels. This study examines the role of community DRR in building resilience to disasters by employing a qualitative approach. The methodology includes a literature review and semi-structured interviews with local residents, community officers, and volunteers. The fieldwork was conducted in two typical disaster prevention model communities: Erma, a relocation recovery community built on the concept of Build Back Better (BBB) after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in a disaster-affected area, and Xinfeng, a relocation community resulting from land readjustment in Chengdu City. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: First, due to the expansion of public space, DRR activities have been diversifi ed. Second, women and the elderly are becoming key stakeholders in the DRR community. However, it is diffi cult for people who do not belong to any organization to access disaster prevention information. Third, an increasing number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are participating in community eff orts. Fourth, the disaster prevention experience was also used in the COVID-19 pandemic response. Finally, this paper explains the relationship between self-help, mutual-help, and public help in community DRR

Study of Preventive Measures against and Knowledge about the COVID-19 Pandemic : A Survey of Chinese Students at Osaka University

Originating in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread throughout the world in the short time since then, greatly aff ecting Japan as well. Being a popular destination for international study, Japan has enacted efforts concerning international students in response to outbreaks of COVID-19. In conditions that change unpredictably from one moment to the next, this study surveyed Chinese students residing in Japan who are studying at Osaka University about preventive measures against and knowledge about COVID-19. From June to September 2020, an online questionnaire was used to survey 162 Chinese students enrolled in Osaka University with the aims of gaining information about their knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of preventive measures against COVID-19 on their health and the safety of their lives. Of the survey respondents, 54.3% were women and 45.7% were men, with their ages being concentrated in their 20s (83.3%). The survey results showed a difference in the information about respondents’ knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic and the performance of COVID-19 preventive measures according to attributes of Chinese students. This enabled the discovery of targets requiring preferential enactment measures. Moreover, discussions to improve international students’ capacity to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic are attempted, while comparing them with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection that have been implemented by the Japanese government and Osaka University in or before September 2020