No.37 Human Security and Disaster in Rural Japan: Reflections from the 2020 Kyushu Floods

The paper reflects on the challenges faced by rural communities in Japan from the combined perspectives of demographic shift and the impact of disasters, and their implications for community survival and resilience amidst such compounded insecurities. By presenting the interplay of human security, disasters, and rural living, the paper highlights the unique vulnerabilities and insecurities experienced by rural communities. Drawing on the human security approach, the paper reflects on the implications of protecting and empowering rural populations in the face of compounded crises. The authors examine the collective challenges faced by rural villages and the urgent need to ensure the well-being of the disaster-affected residents of Kuma-mura based on a case study of the 2020 Kyushu floods. The paper confirms the universality of human security, the importance of developing strategies that consider rural areas' sociocultural and demographic context, and the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing complex and interconnected challenges those areas face.

Keywords: Human security, Rural community, Disasters, Kuma-mura (Kumamoto), 2020 Kyushu Floods