Impact of Insurance on Earthquake Risk Territories in Japan

The subject of the present PhD thesis is the qualitative, interdisciplinary analysis of the impact of earthquake insurance on earthquake risk territories in Japan. On the one hand, the Japanese Earthquake Insurance System (JEI) will be analyzed; on the other hand, the liability insurance system for nuclear risks in Japan will be examined. The first research question (R1) focuses on the impact of insurance on earthquake risk territories, whereas the second research question (R2) concerns the adequacy and efficiency of earthquake insurance and the nuclear liability insurance system in Japan. These two research questions will be analyzed in the following two case studies: the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 in the Kobe-Osaka area, and the Tohoku Earthquake, including the following nuclear disaster at Fukushima, in 2011 in the northern part of Japan. In the first case study, the functioning and influence of the JEI will be examined, whereas in the second case study, the liability insurance system for nuclear risks in Japan will be analyzed.