Evaluation of the Productivity Decrease Risk Due to a Future Increase in Tropical Cyclone Intensity in Japan


Address correspondence to Miguel Esteban, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Ookubo, 51-Goukan, 4-Kai, 7 Shitsu, 169-8555 Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan; tel: +81-(0)3-5286-2358; esteban.fagan@gmail.com.


A number of scientists have recently conducted research that shows that tropical cyclone intensity is likely to increase in the future. This would result in an increase in the damage along with a decrease in economic productivity due to precautionary cessation of the economic activity of the affected areas during the passage of the cyclone. The economic effect of this stop in economic activity is a phenomenon that has not received much attention in the past, and the cumulative effect that it can have on the Japanese economy over the next 75 years has never been evaluated. The starting point for the evaluation of the economic risks is the change in the patterns of tropical cyclone intensity suggested by Knutson and Tuleya.(1) The results obtained show how a significant decrease in the overall productivity of the country could be expected, which could lower GDP by between 6% and 13% by 2085.