Intensive Transnationalism amongst Japanese Migrants after the Great East Japan Earthquake: Voices from Diasporic Blogs

By Atsushi Takeda

Volume 15, Issue 3, pages 492-507

Abstract

This article explores how Japanese migrants responded to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 by analysing personal weblogs published by Japanese migrants across the globe. The analysis of their blog posts demonstrates the collective response of Japanese overseas citizens to a crisis in their homeland. Their narratives reveal their emotional reactions, such as frustration, heartache, and guilt, and delineate how this catastrophe affected their sense of national identity and solidarity. As well as shedding light on these responses, the data further serve to crystallize the way in which Japanese migrants’ transnationalism intensifies following homeland disasters.

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