Reflecting on the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake which occurred on March 11, 2011, caused tremendous damage to society, and also brought about significant changes in the picture book industry. This included not only the introduction of picture books covering the conditions in disaster-struck areas and the environmental pollution resulting from the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, but also works which deal with anxiety, fear, and loss; works which give hope for continued living; works that remind us that there is no replacement for a peaceful daily life; and works which talk about "death", a topic that was traditionally avoided in works aimed at children. There was also a greater tendency for readers to desire expressions which could more directly appeal to their feelings, such as rougher brush strokes, or intense colors. The experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake can be said to have become an opportunity to look back on the subjects and expression of picture books up until now and question anew just what picture books are uniquely capable of expressing.

During the Heisei Era Japan also suffered numerous other major earthquakes besides the Great East Japan Earthquake. In addition to the Great East Japan Earthquake, there are also picture books which deal with the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake which occurred on January 17, 1995; the Niigata Chuetsu offshore Earthquake which occurred on October 23, 2004; and Kumamoto Earthquake which occurred on April 14, 2016.