Welcome to Dr. Miki Mochizuki site.
I am a sociologist and a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Informatics, Shizuoka University, Japan.
I received my Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from the University of Tokyo in 2019.
My research focuses on rural sociology, disaster study, and community studies, with particular attention to the great east Japan earthquake and Fukushima daiichi nuclear powerplant accident.
I employ fieldwork-based sociological methods to examine how individuals and communities rebuild their lives and sustain social ties in the aftermath of crisis.
Education
Ph.D. Environmental Studies, Univ. of Tokyo, Japan, Jun 2019
M.A Environmental Studies, Univ. of Tokyo, Mar 2015
B.A. Philosophy, Keio Univ., Mar 2013
Academic Positions
2024 Apr–Present | Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Information Sociology, Shizuoka Univ.
2021 Oct–2024 Mar | Assistant Professor, same
2020 Apr–2021 Sep | JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow (PD), Sophia Univ. & Rikkyo Univ.
2018 Sep–2021 Sep | Adjunct Lecturer, various universities (Meisei Univ., Chuo Univ., Senshu Univ.)
2016 Apr–2018 Mar | JSPS DC2 Research Fellow, Univ. of Tokyo
2014 Dec–2016 Mar | Research Assistant, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology
Research Interests
- Sociological study of disasters (Recovery, Preparedness)
- Earthquake and Tsunami
- Nuclear power plant accident
- Rural communities & community-based resilience
- Mobility in long-term evacuation and reconstruction through visitation
- Mental care for victims
- Relationship between people and land
- Rural area, Coastal area
- Fieldwork in affected regions (Miyagi, Fukushima)
- Fieldwork in areas where disasters are predicted (Shizuoka)
Selected Publications & Books (written in Japanese)
Mochizuki, M. (2024). "On the relationship between people and land: from experiences of disaster, evacuation, and relocation." *Contemporary Sociology Theory Research*.
Mochizuki, M. (2023). "Challenges in long-term, wide-area evacuation after Fukushima Accident: Support activities for evacuees in Shizuoka." *Journal of Informatics*.
Mochizuki, M. (2023). “Losing one's hometown: The revival and conflict of traditional industries following the Fukushima nuclear accident”, recorded in *What the Fukushima nuclear accident brought to people: Invisible damage and reproduced structures of damage.* edit:Seki.R, Haraguchi.Y, Shinsen-sya.
Mochizuki, M. (2020). *Sociology of disaster recovery and ikigai: a private-problem perspective in local communities.* Ochanomizu Shobo. (Awarded Sociological Society of Japan & Regional Sociology Society prizes)
SKILS
The Certificate of Advanced Social Researcher (Japanese Association for Social Research）
・Qualitative Research (interviews, fieldwork, ethnography, etc.)
・Quantitative Analysis (surveys, statistics, etc.)
Grants
・2024.4 – 2028.3 Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), “A Sociological Study on ‘Mobility’ and ‘Hometown’ in Post-Disaster Recovery”, PI
・2024.4 – 2026.3 Inamori Research Grant, Inamori Foundation
“Commuting-Based Recovery and Life Reconstruction after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident”,PI
・2024.7 – 2025.2 Academic Research Grant, Izu Peninsula Geopark,“A Study on Tsunami Countermeasures in Coastal Izu Peninsula: From the Perspectives of Regional Sociology and Folklore Studies”, PI
・2022.8 – 2024.3 Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up, JSPS,“Empirical Study on Daily Life Challenges and Support Systems under Prolonged Evacuation after the Fukushima Nuclear Accident”, PI
・2021.4 – 2023.3 Sumisei Award for Female Researchers, Child-Raising Support Project for a Brighter Future, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company Research Grant
・2020.4 – 2023.3 Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, JSPS, “Restructuring Communal Living under Prolonged Displacement: A Study on Long-Term Evacuees from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident”, PI
・2018.4 – 2019.2 Sasakawa Scientific Research Grant, Japan Science Society,“Reconstructing Communality in Post-Disaster Local Societies: Focusing on Aging Coastal Communities Affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake”, PI
・2016.4 – 2018.3 Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, JSPS, “Empirical Study on the Foundations of Survival in Local Communities”, PI
・2015.4 – 2016.3 Research Grant for Young Scholars in Humanities and Social Sciences, Japan Institute for Agricultural Policy Studies, “Small-Scale Farming as a Source of Meaning in Later Life: A Study of Rural Communities Affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake”, PI
Professional Service & Awards
2025 6th Term Promising Young Researcher (Selected), Shizuoka University
2022 4th Research Encouragement Award, Tohoku Sociological Association
2022 15th Research Encouragement Award (Monograph Division), Japan Association for Regional and Community Studies
2021 20th Japan Sociological Society Award for Outstanding Scholarly Work
Japan Sociological Society
2021 Sumisei Award for Female Researchers, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company
Affiliated academic societies
・Regional Sociology Society (Director; journal editorial member)
・Japan Sociological Society
・Japanese Society for Rural Studies
・Disaster Reconstruction Society
・Environmental Sociology Society
・Kanto Sociological Society, Tohoku Sociological Society
About My research
KEYWORDS: Great East Japan Earthquake, Livelihoods, Purpose in Life（ikigai）,
Care for victims, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident, Long-term and Wide-area Evacuation
I’ve researched on reconstruction of life in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, with a particular focus on tsunami-affected communities. My work examines how individuals and communities rebuild their everyday lives in the face of long-term displacement and loss, paying special attention to the concept of ikigai—a sense of meaning or purpose in life. Through qualitative fieldwork, I explore the roles of community and care practices in fostering recovery, resilience, and social connection in disaster-affected areas.
Another My research, I focus on the sociological impacts of long-term and widespread evacuations following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. I examine the challenges faced by evacuees and explore the support mechanisms needed for their livelihood reconstruction. One of my recent research themes includes empirical studies on "reconstruction through visitation," where displaced individuals contribute to the recovery of their hometowns while continuing to live elsewhere.
Future prospects
In Japan, a wide variety of natural disasters occur, and many studies have been conducted in response. However, I have noticed that much of this research tends to remain within domestic academic circles, with limited collaboration or dialogue with international researchers. I see this as a critical issue.
Moving forward, I hope to play a role in introducing Japanese disaster research—including my own work—to the international academic community, while also bringing overseas trends and theoretical frameworks into the Japanese context. In particular, I am interested in exploring the intersection between studies on mobility and evacuation, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of emerging frameworks related to the increasing frequency of disasters caused by climate change—many of which have not yet been widely introduced in Japan.