Editor-in-chief

Prof. Paul Sudnik

Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany

As the Editor-in-Chief of IJSSH, I invite you to contribute your scholarly work to our esteemed publication. The journal publishes papers which focus on the advanced researches in the field of all aspects of social science and humanity. I'll endeavour to make this journal grow better and hopefully it will become a recognized journal among researchers and scholars in related fields.

Home > Archive > 2026 > Volume 16, Number 1, 2026
IJSSH 2026 Vol.16(1): 23-27
doi: 10.18178/ijssh.2026.16.1.1273

Difficulties and Support of Out-of-Prefecture Evacuees—Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Manami Yasuda
Iryo Sosei University, Chiba, Japan
Email: Yasuda.manami@isu.ac.jp

Manuscript received August 19, 2025; accepted September 25, 2025; published February 11, 2026.

Abstract—In March 2011, Japan suffered enormous damage from the magnitude 9 Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident. Among the residents affected by the disaster, there are concerns about the loneliness and fatigue of those who evacuated to other prefectures in wide areas. The purpose of this study is to clarify the difficulties faced by residents who continue to live outside their prefecture and the efforts and support they need to overcome these difficulties. Following the disaster, interviews were conducted with eight individuals who had relocated outside their home prefectures and were living in evacuation shelters. The results revealed that the primary reasons for choosing to evacuate outside their home prefectures were the inability to return to their pre-disaster homes because of the nuclear accident and concerns about radiation exposure. The difficulties of living outside the prefecture were identified as four factors: changes in living environment, loneliness from being away from home, prejudice and discrimination against evacuees, and health issues. In overcoming these adversities, the following four factors provided support: sharing feelings with family and friends, taking initiative to improve the situation, confronting discrimination and prejudice head-on, and maintaining connections with the local community and friends from before the disaster. Future challenges include collaboration and cooperation among local governments and other entities to provide emotional support and appropriate information dissemination to disaster victims, with consideration for their reconstruction of life and health management, as well as the maintenance of long-term support systems.

Keywords—mental health, disaster, evacuees outside the prefecture, difficulty, support

Cite: Manami Yasuda, "Difficulties and Support of Out-of-Prefecture Evacuees—Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Power Plant Accident," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 23-27, 2026.

Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
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