Toward Intercultural Community Building through Collaboration with Foreign Residents: Enhancing Community-based Mutual Support during Disaster

A Case Study of the FY2024 MIC Multicultural Coexistence Regional Council Initiative

Abstract

This study examines the potential of intercultural community building as a foundation for mutual support during disasters. To this end, it analyzes the proceedings of the 2024 Multicultural Coexistence Regional Conference organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which focused on “Support for Foreign Residents during Disaster.” The conference featured a keynote address that highlighted the challenges and lessons concerning foreign residents revealed by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, as well as case reports on collaborative initiatives involving foreign communities. The analysis identifies three key conditions for ensuring that support effectively reaches foreign residents during disasters: (1) the establishment of networks with neighbors and communities based on nationality or ethnicity during normal times; (2) the development of inclusive community frameworks utilizing "Multi‑layered Support System Development Project"; and (3) the creation of reciprocal support relationships that transcend boundaries of sectors, regions, and social roles within the host society.