After researching the causes and consequences of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation was determined to change the way Japan responds to future disasters.

Japan in Peril?, by Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation

Yoichi Funabashi

199 pages.
CLSA Books, Nonfiction.

The result is "Japan in Peril?," which critiques current disaster-management and speculates about coming disasters — from island disputes and cyberterrorism to a devastating Tokyo earthquake — with the goal of influencing policymakers and raising awareness.

The book covers a range of worst-case disaster scenarios and, though the far-fetched portrayals of some of these seem laughable, the book does highlight weaknesses in existing crisis-response systems.