ABSTRACT
The Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami inflicted tremendous loss and damage on Japan. Japan is considered by many to be the country most well prepared for massive earthquakes and tsunamis; and this reputation is, perhaps, well deserved. The Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami revealed that the Japanese legal system failed to anticipate that devastation could result from an earthquake and tsunami. The Japanese legal system was, unsuited to facilitating swift reconstruction in the Tohoku Region. The Tohoku Earthquake brought incredible tragedy. It will be similarly tragic if the lessons learned in the wake of the disasters are not applied to safeguarding the nation's future to the greatest extent possible. The basic character of Japanese law as bureaucratic law has not changed and the inability of Japanese politics to face an emergency has not altered. Many of the failures of law and politics remain as inherent problems for Japan.
