Review of the Concept of Disaster in the Disaster Law -the Scale Requirements and Infectious Diseases as Disasters-

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K20094
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0105:Law and related fields
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: SE NOORI 神戸大学, 法学研究科, 助手 (40962973)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 災害法 / 災害の規模性 / 災害の法化 / 人為災害 / 災害の平時化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The definition of disaster is not fixed. The phenomena treated as disasters reflect differences in the cultural and social systems. This study compared the legal definitions of disasters in Japan and Korea and identified the differences. Infectious diseases best illustrate such differences. Japan's disaster law, centered on natural disasters, does not classify infectious diseases as disasters. However, in Korea, where man-made disasters are widely considered as disasters, infectious diseases are also classified as such in disaster law. The process of expanding the concept of disasters in Korea is referred to as the “juridification” of disasters, indicating quantitative changes. In contrast, there has been a qualitative change in Japan's concept of disasters, which is centered on natural disasters. This is the “normalisation” of disasters, where disaster response is not just an immediate concern in the event of a disaster, but also a matter of preparedness in normal times.

Free Research Field

行政法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

災害法制における災害定義の分析を通じて、災害法の理論化・体系化を図った。災害法は法という道具を通じて災害の経験を後代に伝える役割を果たす。災害大国と呼ばれる日本の経験が盛り込まれている日本の災害法については既に優れた研究成果(生田長人『防災法』（信山社、2013年）、大橋洋一(編)『災害法』（有斐閣,2022年）、村中 洋介『災害行政法』（信山社、2022年）など)があるが、。本研究は災害概念の国際的比較を通じて災害概念の共通的な面として災害の規模性や日本と韓国の災害概念の違いとして人為災害の包摂範囲を導き出すことにより、日本の災害法制の固有性及び特徴を明らかにすることが知ることができた。