Date and Time: Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 14:40–16:10
Format: In-person
Venue: Large Conference Room, 7th Floor, Research Institute Building
Participants: 51 (13 community members, 38 students)

Film: Left Behind – Persons with Disabilities from 3.11, the Great East Japan Earthquake
Director: Motoharu Iida
Produced by: Headquarters for Relief of Persons with Disabilities in the Great East Japan Earthquake
Year: 2012 / Language: Japanese / Duration: 74 min
(English-subtitled version available:https://vimeo.com/ondemand/leftbehindenglish

We held a screening of the documentary Left Behind – Persons with Disabilities from 3.11, the Great East Japan Earthquake. Produced in 2012, the film compiles testimonies from persons with disabilities and those who supported them in Fukushima and other areas affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

The film features organizations such as “Day Support Peanuts” in Minamisoma City, which provides daily living support for people with intellectual disabilities; the “Iwaki Center for Independent Living” in Iwaki City; and the “Association for Community Welfare Development” in Tamura City. It also documents the activities of the Headquarters for Relief of Persons with Disabilities in the Great East Japan Earthquake, which engaged in peer support activities led by persons with disabilities themselves across Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures.
In the documentary, one individual with a disability recounts how their impairment prevented them from protecting themselves from the earthquake and tsunami or even accessing vital information. Several others share that they were forced to give up evacuating because they felt they “could not live there” or would “cause trouble to others.” The film also portrays the hardships of those who faced mobility difficulties in temporary housing and the emotional and physical distress of evacuees affected by the nuclear disaster.

It has been pointed out that the mortality rate of persons with disabilities in the Great East Japan Earthquake was significantly higher than that of the general population in affected areas. This documentary reveals, through personal testimonies, that there were people who were “left behind” during evacuation and others who, even after reaching shelters, could not remain there.

The seminar was part of the course Diversity and Welfare Studies and was attended by both students and community members.

Below are some comments from the post-screening survey:

•“It was extremely valuable to learn about many critical issues that only persons with disabilities and those around them could truly imagine during a disaster.”
•“The film shed light on often-overlooked realities and encouraged me to think of these issues as my own.”
•“I realized how vastly different people’s experiences of the same disaster can be, depending on their circumstances. I was struck by how many persons with disabilities hesitated to evacuate due to inadequate shelter environments and lack of social understanding.”
•“The seminar reminded me that disasters can happen to anyone, but socially vulnerable people are often more severely affected. I strongly felt the need for each of us to consider how we can act and support one another to create an inclusive society.”
•“Even without specialized knowledge about disabilities, there are still things we can do—such as speaking to or assisting people with disabilities at shelters. I felt that if everyone made small efforts, people with disabilities would feel more comfortable coming to shelters and voicing their needs.”