NBR just released the fourth Q&A in a week-long series that reflects on the one-year anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. In this Q&A, Sumie Ishii from the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP) discusses the acute health needs that women faced, and continue to face, following the disaster. A link to the full interview and a summary are below:

"Relief Efforts in Japan One Year Later: Reflections and Lessons Learned"

Q&A with Sumie Ishii, Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP)

Link: http://m.nbr.org/yu91SP

SUMMARY

One year later, Japan continues to navigate physical and mental health challenges wrought by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. NBR spoke with Sumie Ishii, Managing Director, JOICFP, regarding the current state of relief efforts and women's health in the most heavily affected prefectures of Japan.

Read the full interview to learn:

- How are women and pregnant mothers critically affected by relief housing and the risk of radiation exposure in Fukushima Prefecture?

- In what ways did NGOs complement government relief efforts during the initial crisis?

- Regarding disaster preparedness, what lessons have Japanese policymakers and NGOs taken away from this experience?

Link: http://m.nbr.org/yu91SP

One Year after March 11 - A Retrospective

This interview is part of a one-year anniversary retrospective of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck eastern Japan. Read more from this
series:

Policy Change in a Post-Crisis Japan

Q&A with Richard J. Samuels
http://m.nbr.org/z3QFMH

Fukushima One Year Later

Q&A with Daniel P. Aldrich
http://m.nbr.org/xEBPxZ

Post-March 11: Japan's Political and Economic Landscape Now and Ahead

Q&A with Michael J. Green
http://m.nbr.org/yNRuHy

Tracy Timmons-Gray
The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) Seattle, WA