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To understand the longer-term consequences of natural disasters for global value chains, this paper examines trade in the automobile and electronic sectors after the 2011 earthquake in Japan. Contrary to widespread expectations, we find that the shock did not lead to reshoring, nearshoring, or diversification across non-Japanese suppliers; and trade in intermediate products was disrupted less than trade in final goods. Imports did shift to new suppliers, especially where dependence on Japan was greater. But production relocated to developing countries rather than to other top exporters, and to larger countries. The results, showing relative inertia in intermediate goods and the dominance of economic fundamentals (cost and scale) in determining sourcing decisions, may help us understand supply chain adjustment after other natural disasters, like the COVID-19 pandemic. JEL Classification F14 * F23 * F63, 1 Introduction Natural disasters impact human lives both directly and through their long-lasting economic consequences. With climate change, the frequency of disasters is expected to increase, and their likelihood will [...]

This paper addresses the concept of 'build back better' and its application to reconstruction along the Sanriku coastal region, which was affected by a devastating tsunami following the Great East [...]

1. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Japan's Joban Highway carries my husband, Yuichi, and me out of Tokyo, and northeast toward the coast. Though Yuichi is a Tokyoite and loves the city, I [...]

Byline: James, Young Editor On March 11, 2011, an unexpected magnitude-9 earthquake struck the islands of Japan. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake caused a huge tsunami to hit Japan's coastline, reaching [...]

The bell rang on March 11, 2011. Seventeen-year-old Masahiro Kikuchi gathered his books and headed down the hall. As he said goodbye to friends who were staying for after-school activities, [...]

At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, a 9.0 earthquake shook the east coast of Japan. Three additional upheavals, each about 7.0 magnitude, followed within 40 minutes in a broad [...]

Summary * More business interruption claims are coming out of Thailand than out of Japan. * The earthquake in Japan and the flooding in Thailand have caused risk managers to [...]

Editor's Note: In our last issue, an English teacher in Japan recounted his experiences in the Japanese earthquake. He left Japan and returned to England. Now some months later he [...]

March 11 started out as a promising Friday at Yokota Air Base. It was the last day of the 374th Airlift Wing's weeklong operational readiness exercise and Airmen were looking [...]

Hirosaki Naozo waded knee-deep in sludge while searching for anything salvageable where his living room used to stand. Four months ago, the 79-year-old bought a brand new house along the [...]

The early part of this year was marked by a torrent of natural disasters in the Asia/ Pacific region: floods in Queensland, Australia; a devastating earthquake in New Zealand; and [...]

Before teaching English in Japan, I had never experienced an earthquake. Now, like my students who are of all ages and from all walks of life, I share their fears [...]

1. Debris and water covers most of the Sendai Airport after an earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan on March 11. Days after the disaster, a joint team of U.S. Air [...]

OPERATION TOMODACHI MARINES, JAPANESE FORCES DELIVER NEEDED SUPPLIES, HELP BY LANCE CPL. MATTHEW A. DENNY, MARINE CORPS BASES JAPAN AVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan - Within hours of the earthquake [...]

It's been two years since the Great East Japan Earthquake decimated the Pacific coastline of northeast Japan, and the rebuilding process is years from over. Though the Japanese government has [...]

The March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami caused great loss of life and property in the nation of Japan, and devastation to the environment. The extraordinary forces and [...]

or two days last spring, Hiroshi Minegishi lived inside his car in a parking lot, surrounded by mountains of debris from the historic March 11 earthquake and tsunami. On the [...]

Each month Franchising World magazine includes examples of the franchise industry's willingness to extend beyond its day-to-day business operations of creating jobs in local communities to help its neighbors. This [...]

In commemoration of the Fourth Anniversary of The Great East Japan Earthquake, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan America Society of Minnesota (JASM) will host a program [...]