Many studies on the history of Japanese cities devote a chapter to the reconstruction processes of the urban settings that followed the Second World War. There are also many researches on the damages and repair works of historic monuments. However, the conservation of the historic built environment as a whole is scarcely investigated. In general, the analysis on urban reconstruction can be devided into several groups: offi cial reports on war damages, reconstrution plans and strategies; enquiries on the actual conditions of each bombed city during and after the confl ict; studies on specifi c themes related to the reconstruction plans and their consequences in the urban development; surveys on single cultural properties during and after the war; and, fi nally, international comparative studies on war damages and reconstruction policies.
Keywords: Japan Second World War Post-war Reconstruction Urban Planning Historic Urban Areas