Tsunami In Japan and Indonesia: Geographic Vulnerabilities and The Role of Government Strategies in National Development

Abstract

Environmental determinism suggests that geography is the primary foundation of all inequalities. Building upon this theory, this paper will demonstrate how Japan uses government strategies to overcome environmental disadvantages. An environmental determinist assumption might be widely accepted: natural geographic features play a crucial role in countries’ level of development. If this is the case, Japan, a country that has limited natural resources and frequent natural disasters, should face significant drawbacks which could lead to struggles with poverty problems and hindered economic development. However, it has become one of the most developed countries with the help of successful government strategies of efficient prevention and recovery plans against natural disasters and shifts in energy policies. This paper contrasts Indonesia with Japan’s development, encountering similar natural disasters, Japan and Indonesia had dissimilar post-disaster responses, leading to distinct economic development levels. This paper shows how countries could implement applicative policies to overcome uncontrollable disadvantages.