Book launch: Dealing With Disaster In Japan: Flight JL123 Crash By Christopher P. Hood

Friday, 28 October 2011 Talk at 6pm followed by a drinks reception to 8pm
Admission Free, Book here 

Daiwa Foundation Japan House
13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle
London NW1 4QP MAP
Nearest Station: Baker Street

Just as the sinking of the Titanic is embedded in the public consciousness in the English-speaking world, so the crash of JAL flight JL123 is part of the Japanese collective memory. The 1985 crash involved the largest loss of life for any single air crash in the world. 520 people, many of whom had been returning to their ancestral home for the Obon religious festival, were killed; there were only four survivors.

This book tells the story of the crash, discusses the many controversial issues surrounding it, and considers why it has come to have such importance for many Japanese. It shows how the Japanese responded to the disaster: trying to comprehend how a faulty repair may have caused the crash, and the fact that rescue services took such a long time to reach the remote crash site; how the bereaved dealt with their loss; how the media in Japan and in the wider world reported the disaster; and how the disaster is remembered and commemorated. The book highlights the media coverage of anniversary events and the Japanese books and films about the crash; the very particular memorialisation process in Japan, alongside Japanese attitudes to death and religion; it points out in what ways this crash both reflects typical Japanese behaviour and in what ways the crash is unique.

Dr. Christopher P. Hood is a Reader in Japanese Studies at Cardiff University, UK. His publications include: Shinkansen: From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan, Japanese Education Reform: Nakasone’s Legacy and (as editor) the four-volume Politics of Modern Japan (all published by Routledge).

 “The book will be available on the day at 30% off the retail price.”

DAIWA (Anglo-Japanese Foundation)

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