ABSTRACT
The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJET) in 2011 brought multiple dangers that were large in scale. While the legal treatment of the GEJET is partly discussed in some English writing, this chapter focuses on the role of legal services after the GEJET, which has rarely been touched on. The legal response to the disaster is not limited to attorneys and other law-related occupations. The Japan Legal Support Center (JLSC) has also dispatched lawyers to local government offices and the Dispute Reconciliation Center for Nuclear Damage Compensation. According to a JLSC survey in late 2012, 27 percent of victims have consulted attorneys or judicial scriveners. Reasons given for not seeking legal advice included "seeking advice is pointless". The chapter focuses on legal services and issues of access to justice. There are some traditional characteristics of Japanese attorneys and their business practices.
