10 - 12 March 2023 (Sendai, Japan hybrid with online)
The Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction 2022 (ACDR2022) was held on 10-12 March 2023 at Sendai International Center, Miyagi Prefecture. This conference was held in a hybrid format to ease the attendance of a broader range of participants from member countries and relative organizations through online participation. As the result, the conference was attended by a total of 205 participants, 84 on-site and 121 online, including representatives from member countries, international organizations, private sectors, and academic/ research institutes.
We will report on the opening session of the conference and special session relating to the "Centenary of the Great Kanto Earthquake."
<Opening Session>
In the opening remarks, Mr TANI Kouichi, Minister of State for Disaster Management, Government of Japan first expressed his condolences for the Great East Japan Earthquake and the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria. He emphasized the importance of ACDR which has been held annually since 2003. Next, Dr HAMADA Masanori, Chairman of ADRC said that ADRC has been promoting multilateral cooperation and support for disaster risk reduction since its establishment in 1998, and that he strongly believes that member countries can contribute to the creation of a safe and secure society by deepening cooperation and collaboration. Finally, Ms KORI Kazuko, Mayor of Sendai City also expressed her condolences for the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. And she expressed her gratitude for the ACDR2022 being held in Sendai City for the second time since the Great East Japan Earthquake. She also emphasized, base on her experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the importance of participants sharing their thoughts and knowledge and connecting with each other in order to appropriate preparedness for risks such as frequent disasters in Asian countries.
Mr SASAHARA Akio, Executive Director of ADRC, read a message on behalf of the Head of the Disaster and Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) under the Ministry of Interioir in Turkey who was unable to participate in ACDR2022.
<Special Session on the Centenary of the Great Kanto Earthquake -What can we learn from past disasters and how can we apply the lessons learned?->
This session comprised three topics of discussions: 1) lessons learned from the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and subsequent countermeasures; 2) new findings and remaining challenges from the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake; and 3) what lessons and technologies from past disasters can be utilized to mitigate future risk in disaster-prone Asia.
Dr ITOH Shigeru, President of ADRC introduced the fact that safe city planning and modern urban design were inspired by the reconstruction of the Great Kanto Earthquake. It was the catalyst for a great leap forward in architecture and urbanism. He noted about the increasing use of concrete in public housings, whereas the apartment buildings with clapboard exteriors made of bare wood were replaced by concrete structures.
Dr HAMADA Masanori, Chairman of ADRC, said that the Great Kanto Earthquake marked the beginning of earthquake engineering in Japan. He introduced that the Great Kanto Earthquake damaged not only wooden houses, but also modern buildings constructed with technology imported from overseas since the Meiji Restoration, which led to the development of earthquake-resistant design of buildings and structures.
Dr HASEMI Yuji, Professor Emeritus of Science and Engineering at Waseda University, explained that the rapid increase in population during the First World War led to the expansion of areas densely populated with wooden buildings in urban regions. These areas caused simultaneous fires during the earthquake, and that because of this experience, fire prevention measures were introduced into these areas.
Prof. SHIGEKAWA Kishie, Professor at the Faculty of Social and Environmental Studies, Tokoha University, mentioned the importance of "people's development" by promoting disaster education and improving disaster literacy. Japan has accumulated a variety of experiences and lessons that may be applicable and useful in the Asian region.
In conclusion, the moderator, Mr YOSHIMURA Hidemi, Former Chief Commentator, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) said that through the discussions of the panelists, it became clear that, since the Great Kanto Earthquake, structural and non-structural disaster prevention measures have been developed, studied and improved to cope with various types of damage, and that Japan has started to promote pre-disaster investment based on the assumption of worst-case scenario.
(2023/03/21 15:00)