IISEE NewsletterSep 29 2018
Number 161

In This Issue• Courtesy Call on theMLIT Minister

International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering BRI Japan
1 Tachihara Tsukuba Japan 305-0802

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Courtesy Call on the MLIT Minister

By Mr. Yoshihiro Iitake, Head of Administration Division, IISEE• 21 ParticipantsCompleted the 20172018 Training
CourseOn September 10, 2017-2018
training participants paid acourtesy visit to Mr. Keiichi Ishii,
Minister of Land, Infrastructure,Transport, and Tourism.

• GRIPS Graduation
Ceremony• Address in reply onbehalf of All theparticipants in theclosing ceremony

Representative of theParticipants

Mr. Ishii encouraged them to be aleader of each country ofearthquake disaster mitigation
through the network of participants
and from this training course.

On behalf of the participants,
William Guzman from El Salvador expressed his gratitude to the Ministerfor supporting developing countries through this training program forover 50 years.
He said he wants to proof the greatness of IISEE training course using
their knowledge which they had learned in IISEE and to enhance thecapability of preparedness for natural disasters in their countries and tokeep having the passion of disaster mitigation.

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Minister Ishii and the IISEE ParticipantsLastly, Mr. Ishii shook hands with the all 21 participants one by one.

Earthquakes

We hope the courtesy call help their encouragement of their countries
future.

The 2011 off the Pacificcoast of Tohoku
Earthquake
Reports of Recent
Earthquakes
Utsu Catalog
Earthquake Catalog

Call for Papers
IISEE Bulletin is nowaccepting submissionsof papers for the seismol og y, ea rt h qu akeengineering, andtsunami. Developing
countries are targeted,but are n ot limited.
Your original papers
will be reviewed by theeditorial members andsome experts.

21 Participants Completed the 2017-2018 Training
CourseBy Mr. Yoshihiro Iitake, Head of Administration Division, IISEEOn Sep 13 we had a closing
ceremony of training courses inSeismology, Earthquake Engineeringand Tsunami Disaster Mitigation which
had started on Oct 3, last year.

NO submission fee isneed.
Try to challenge!!
Mr. Hayashida Yasutaka、
Executive Director for Building
Research of BRI

This year we had 21 participants from10 countries awarded a training
certificate of completion and takecourses certificate

Mr. Sunohara, Director ofDisaster Management Policy
Program of GRIPS

Participants who were chosen by theircountry divided into three courses,
Seismology, Earthquake Engineering,and Tsunami Disaster Mitigation. They
took lectures in consideration ofspecialty. They settled research tocope with individual problems to havein their mother country.

In the ceremony, Mr. Sunohara,
Director of Disaster Management
Policy Program of GRIPS granted thebest research award, and Director ofIISEE granted the Director award to 3
participants each.
Mr. Masayuki Takahashi,
General Director of JICA
Tsukuba International Center

Using their knowledge and network ofthe research, we are anticipating theirsuccess.

Best research award
Mr. Ibrahim Gamal Ibrahim
ZAHARAof S course from Egypt

Best research award
Mr. Nabil MEKAOUIof E course from Morocco

Best research award
Mr. Bhenz RODRIGUEZ
of T course from Phillippines

Director’s award
Mr. Thakur Prasad KANDEL
of S course from Nepal

Director’s award
Mr. Md. KAMRUZZAMAN
of E course from Bangladesh

Director’s award
Mr. William Roberto GUZMANCALDERONof E course from El Salvador

Enjoy, Now

Contact Us
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iiseenews@kenken.go.jp

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GRIPS Graduation Ceremony

By Mr. Yoshihiro Iitake, Head of Administration Division, IISEEIn cooperation with JICA and the National Graduate Institute for Policy
Studies (GRIPS), IISEE can award the degree of Master of Disaster
Management to all participants who gained predetermined results.
19 Participants of IISEE training course attended the graduation
ceremony in GRIPS on Sep 14.
We appreciate everyone for understanding and cooperation to conduct
this training course. Thank you very much.

GRIPS Graduation Ceremony

Address in Reply on Behalf of All the Participants in thegraduation ceremony in BRIby Mr. Luis Renesto MIXCO DURAN from El Salvador

Mr. Hayashida Yasutaka、Executive Director for
Building Research of Building Research Institute,
Professor Hiroki SUNOHARA, Program Director ofthe Disaster Management Policy Program of theNational Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Mr.
Masayuki Takahashi, General Director of JICA
Tsukuba International Center, Dr. Toshiaki
YOKOI, Director of International Institute ofSeismology and Earthquake Engineering, Ladiesand gentlemen, good morning.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for
Mr. Luis Renesto MIXCO DURAN
giving me the honor to say these closing words
on behalf of all my colleagues and friends of theSeismology, Earthquake Engineering and Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Course 2017-2018.
During this year, Japan has been like our second home, where we have obtained endless andenriching experiences that we will never forget. Full of contrasts, Japan is a country where
ancient arts, breathtaking landscapes and advanced technology coexist. Japan not only has
strengthened the relationship between our countries, it has also created everlasting
friendships, and has shown us its rich culture. Even though, they continuously suffer from a
range of natural disasters, they have been able to proudly overcome its adversities throughhard work, discipline and state of the art technology, to the point where they are now
recognized as a world benchmark in risk management and prevention.
Looking closely at this admirable performance, I would like to highlight two key features ofJapan’s success in dealing with natural disasters, which we had the opportunity to learn
through lectures, field trips and testimonies about The Great East Japan, Niigata, Kobe andthe Kumamoto Earthquakes. The first feature is related to its full commitment to earlychildhood education involving social awareness and common welfare, which I consider thecornerstone in its rapid strength to overcome the difficulties caused by huge natural disasters.
The second feature is connected in how much importance is given to the volunteers, whose
vocation to help and total altruism is one of the key elements for the disaster management tomeet its goals. Without any doubt, the culture and personality of Japanese people are worthyof admiration.
Time has passed like the wind. It has been almost a year since we all left our countries, full ofdreams, expectations and hope. We were all eager and hungry for knowledge. Thanks to thesupport among us, the wisdom of our teachers and the charisma of the staff; it was possible
to reach our goals and culminate the beginning of a new chapter of our lives equipped with amaster’s degree. From the first day we arrived in Japan, we were reinforcing our ikigai or
better known as our reason for living, where the skills, passion and values are aligned, being
evidenced in our excellent research studies. This can be argued with a William Shakespeare
quote: “We know what we are, but know not what we may be"; which means that without
effort, dedication, perseverance and enthusiasm, we would not have discovered what we arecapable of becoming.
I know that each one of us has worked hard to achieve this recognition. It will surely open
many doors for us to continue strengthening our professional development and increase thetechnical capacity of our organizations. I can say that the knowledge that we acquired has
been like a seed that has been planted in fertile land, which we will take to share and apply ineach of our countries. The fruit will be reflected both in the short and long term in our daily
work on the basis of building a more resilient society to natural disasters.
Finally, I want to conclude this speech by expressing our sincere gratitude to IISEE, BRI, JICAand GRIPS for all the knowledge, experiences and trust that have been shared with us during
this year. To all my colleagues and friends, thank you for the invaluable support andfriendship. Congratulations on this great achievement and as Nelson Mandela once said:“…after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb”. I wish
you all the best of luck in this new stage of your lives that you are about to embark on once
you return to your home countries.
Thank you all.

Closing Ceremony