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NSC joins disaster management seminar in Japan

Chern Jenn-chuan (left), deputy chief executive of the Typhoon Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Commission, shares views on disaster prevention with Japanese scholars in Kyoto Nov. 21. (Courtesy of TMPDRC)

• Publication Date：11/24/2011
• Source： Taiwan Today

The National Science Council’s Department of International Cooperation and Kyoto University’s Disaster Prevention Research Institute held a disaster prevention seminar at the Japanese university Nov. 20 to 21.

Experts from the two countries exchanged views on a range of issues related to disaster prevention, relief and reconstruction.

Participants also presented the results of surveys related to disasters that have occurred in the two countries in recent times. These included Typhoon Morakot, which caused major destruction and loss of life when it swept across southern Taiwan in August 2009, the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in March of this year, as well as the pair of typhoons, Talas and Roke, that ravaged Japan in September.

Speakers at the seminar, organized by Taiwan’s Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, included Hajime Nakajima, deputy head of the Kyoto research institute, Masahiro Chigira, a professor at the university, and Chern Jenn-chuan, deputy chief executive of the Typhoon Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Commission.

Chern noted that at a time of growing urbanization, rapidly aging populations and increasing frequency of major disasters, the need for countries, societies and citizens to rely on one another has grown. The question of how to raise the disaster prevention and reconstruction capabilities of governments, nongovernmental organizations, enterprises, communities and individuals is one of the most important challenges facing governments today, he said.

Another major issue of concern to countries around the world is enhancing social management systems to improve disaster response capabilities, Chern said.

He added that his commission is slated to hold the 8th International Symposium on Social Management Systems in Kaohsiung City May 2 to 4, 2012, with the aim of enhancing exchanges between nations on this issue. (SB)