ABSTRACT
On 14 April 2016, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the Kumamoto region on the Japanese island of Kyushu. The earthquake, initially announced as a main shock was in fact a foreshock. The main shock struck the area two days later, and it was magnitude 7.3 and occurred at midnight. Kyushu area is relatively less prepared to earthquakes, compared with other areas in Japan (e.g. Tohoku, where there have been mega earthquakes historically, including the 2011 disaster). This 2016 earthquake was a wake-up call for people and authorities in Kyushu, reminding them that they also should prepare for earthquake and tsunami as well as typhoons, given that the southern part of island is facing with Pacific Ocean. The unprepared local governments and communities in Kyushu struggled to manage the immediate response and expected long process of recovery. The local universities played a pivotal role in helping local governments and communities. In this chapter, the author focuses on collaborative actions of government, community and local universities in managing recovery.
