Performance by the local troupe Warabi-za.
The Soka Gakkai Tohoku Youth Division hosted the "Minna no BOSAI Fes" (Disaster Prevention Festival for All) in Sendai, Japan, on 14 June 2026, to commemorate fifteen years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disaster devastated the Tohoku region in March 2011. Some 4,000 people attended in person, connecting with a further 15,000 online. Governor Yoshihiro Murai of Miyagi Prefecture delivered a speech, and Yuki Matsuoka, Head of the UNDRR Kobe Office, sent a message.
The festival featured dance and music performances, individual testimonies and an announcement of the results of an awareness survey on disaster preparedness conducted prior to the event. The survey was initiated by youth across six prefectures in the Tohoku region, gathering approximately 18,000 responses by May 2026. The results highlight key trends in communication, hazard map utilization, local training and generational gaps.
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Participants engaging at booths during the festival.
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Participants of the festival.
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Disaster prevention goods exhibit.
After reviewing the survey data, the Tohoku Youth Division concluded that building community resilience requires shifting from passive awareness to active behavior. This involves urging residents to check local risks on hazard maps, transforming casual neighborly greetings into the basis for reliable safety nets, and leveraging the personal preparedness of younger generations to help foster broader community involvement.
Key findings and critical gaps recorded by survey respondents are as follows:
- Post-Disaster Planning: While 67.9% of respondents actively talk about post-disaster communication with family and friends, only 14.5% have actually established specific contact methods or meeting locations.
- The Hazard Map Paradox: Respondents have high general awareness of hazard maps, with 64.4% stating they understand them broadly. However, a mere 6.4% actively use them. Notably, 51.8% of active hazard map users also have specific post-disaster communication plans, showing a clear link between hazard map literacy and practical preparation. In addition, younger respondents (20s–30s) are twice as likely as those over 60 to have heard of hazard maps but have never actually looked at one.
- Low Local Training Engagement: Over half of the respondents, 57.9%, have either never participated in local evacuation drills or do not know if they are held. The data reveals that residents who lack neighborhood social ties are highly unlikely to know about drills or have family emergency plans.
- Youth Preparedness: Respondents in their 20s and 30s showed much weaker community ties and lower drill participation compared to older participants. However, nearly half of the youth prioritize "stockpiling supplies" over other measures, which may signal that they view disaster readiness more as an individual or household responsibility rather than a community-wide effort.
