The conflagration that succeeded the 1923 Kantō earthquake in Tokyo was responsible for the demise of 90% of the 105,000 casualties, making it a calamity of historic proportions. A recently published academic paper in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America emphasizes the necessity of fire mitigation measures in regions susceptible to earthquakes, and also draws attention to the relationship between scientific forecasting and societal reactions.
The tragic aftermath of the 1923 Kantō earthquake, delineated in a scholarly article, offers valuable insights to modern seismologists and urban planners. The fires that erupted in the days subsequent to the 7.9 magnitude earthquake on September 1, 1923, claimed nearly 90% of the lives lost, thus ranking it among the most catastrophic natural disasters, akin to the casualties from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II.
Despite being less familiar outside of Japan, the extensive damage caused by these fires holds crucial lessons for seismologists, emergency response coordinators, and city planners. The paper will be included in an upcoming special issue by the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America dedicated to the 1923 Kantō event.
Interestingly, these fire outbreaks were predicted by a seismologist of the era, which subsequently led to the incorporation of earthquake safety measures in Japanese school curricula. In recent times, the history of earthquake-induced fires in Japan has contributed to the installation of seismic shutoff valves on gas meters nationwide.
Areas with a high susceptibility to earthquakes, particularly those with a large number of wood-framed structures like the western coast of the United States, Japan, and parts of New Zealand, must give due attention to fire prevention strategies as an integral aspect of their disaster preparedness plans.
Less than 5% of scholarly writings about the 1923 Kantō earthquake discuss the fire in extensive detail, even though fires were primarily responsible for the vast majority of fatalities and destruction. The total damage from the fires has been calculated to be nearly ¥1.5 billion, whereas Japan’s national budget for 1923 was ¥1.37 billion. For this reason, the authors argue that the catastrophe should be referred to as the Great Kantō Fire Disaster rather than the Great Kantō Earthquake Disaster.
Table of Contents
Forethought and Prediction
The devastating fires had been anticipated as early as 1905 by Imamura Akitsune, an assistant professor of seismology at Tokyo Imperial University. He proposed measures to minimize fire risks, such as discontinuing the use of kerosene lanterns and ensuring proper spacing between new constructions. However, his warnings were largely dismissed by Ōmori Fusakichi, a senior seismologist who discredited the seismic gap theory and believed that earthquakes were less likely to occur under windy conditions.
On the fateful day, fires broke out across Tokyo, mostly in houses constructed from light wood and paper, as people were preparing their midday meals using traditional stoves and grills. Charles Scawthorn, a researcher at the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California at Berkeley, highlighted that even under normal circumstances, the Tokyo fire department would have been ill-equipped to handle such a scale of disaster. The situation was further aggravated by numerous water main breaks.
Lessons from History
The aftermath of this devastating event had profound impacts on the realms of urban planning, political discourse, and educational initiatives in Japan. Janet Borland, a historian, has documented the effects of the disaster on children and education in her work, “Earthquake Children: Building Resilience from the Ruins of Tokyo.” Likewise, Charles Schencking, a historian at the University of Hong Kong, has delved into how the disaster was interpreted and utilized for ideological reconstruction of the nation.
Scawthorn summed up the essence of disaster preparedness by stating, “Science can provide warnings, but it requires the mobilization of economics, politics, and resources for such warnings to be effective.”
Reference: “The Great Kantō Fire Following the 1923 Earthquake” by Charles Scawthorn, Tomoaki Nishino, J. Charles Schencking and Janet Borland, published on September 12, 2023, in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. DOI: 10.1785/0120230106
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Kantō Earthquake Fire Consequences
What is the primary focus of the article?
The primary focus of the article is on the devastating fires that followed the 1923 Kantō earthquake in Tokyo, which were responsible for 90% of the total casualties. The article aims to shed light on the importance of fire prevention in earthquake-prone areas and explores how scientific forecasts can be integrated into socio-economic disaster mitigation strategies.
What lessons are presented for current earthquake scientists and urban planners?
The article argues that the story of the Kantō earthquake fires holds important lessons for earthquake scientists, emergency response teams, and city planners. It emphasizes the necessity of considering fire prevention and response measures as integral parts of earthquake mitigation plans, particularly in areas with a large inventory of wood-framed buildings.
What preventive measures have been adopted in Japan post the 1923 Kantō earthquake?
Following the 1923 Kantō earthquake, seismic shutoff valves have been placed on gas meters throughout Japan to prevent fires. The earthquake also led to the introduction of the first lessons in earthquake protection for schoolchildren in Japan.
How have recent studies about the 1923 Kantō earthquake explored fire-related consequences?
Recent papers, particularly one in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, have started to explore the large-scale fire consequences of the earthquake. These papers model the spread of fires, considering variables such as wind direction and velocity, and examine their relationship to the built environment.
What did the authors suggest as the appropriate name for the event?
The authors suggest that the event should be referred to as Kantō Daikasai or the Great Kantō Fire Disaster, rather than the more commonly used name of Kantō Daishinsai or Great Kantō Earthquake Disaster. This is to emphasize the significance of the fires in causing the majority of the casualties and damage.
Who were some of the key researchers and historians involved in studying the 1923 Kantō earthquake and fires?
Researchers like Charles Scawthorn from the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California at Berkeley, and Tomoaki Nishino of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University have been key in studying the fire aspects. Historians like Janet Borland and Charles Schencking have looked into the societal and educational impacts of the disaster.
What were the economic losses due to the fires caused by the 1923 Kantō earthquake?
The fires led to losses estimated at almost ¥ 1.5 billion, a significant amount considering that Japan’s total national budget for 1923 was ¥ 1.37 billion.
What were the initial warnings given by Imamura Akitsune regarding the Kantō earthquake?
Imamura Akitsune, an assistant professor of seismology at Tokyo Imperial University, had warned as early as 1905 that a large earthquake was due in the region. He suggested that fires could be a major threat in such an event and proposed preventive measures like abolishing kerosene lanterns and creating setbacks between new buildings.
More about Kantō Earthquake Fire Consequences
- Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America
- Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California at Berkeley
- Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University
- Japan’s National Budget Archives
- The Great Kantō Earthquake and the Chimera of National Reconstruction in Japan
- Earthquake Children: Building Resilience from the Ruins of Tokyo
- Seismic Gap Theory
- Historical Account of the 1923 Kantō Earthquake
- Earthquake Safety in Japan’s School Curriculum
- Fire Following Earthquake: Research and Findings
