ADRC Highlights
Asian Disaster Reduction Center Monthly News
● Promoting Cooperation with Member Countries
Vol. 349
April
2022
TOPICS
Promoting Cooperation
with Member Countries
ADRC DRR LectureSeries
Promoting Cooperation
with AffiliatedInstitutions
Online Tsunami Seminar
FY2021
Participation inInternational
Conferences
ASEAN-Japan PublicPrivate Seminar on
Innovative Policies andTechnologies for DRR
ADRC Staff Profile
Ms HORIIKE Mie, Senior
Administrative Manager

Asian DisasterReduction Center
Higashikan 5F, 1-5-2
Wakinohamakaigan-dori,Chuo-ku, Kobe
651-0073 Japan
Tel: 078-262-5540
Fax: 078-262-5546
editor@adrc.asia
https://www.adrc.asia© ADRC 2022

ADRC DRR Lecture Series

The Asian Disaster Reduction Center(ADRC) has been conducting its Visiting
Researcher (VR) programme and inviting
VRs from ADRC member countries tospend time in Japan since 1999. As ofMarch 2021, 117 officials from 27 member
countries have participated in theprogramme, enabling ADRC to contributeto human resource development anddisaster information sharing in thosecountries. During their programmes, VRs
will study some of the most innovative andpractical initiatives and technologies in theDRR field, and will learn about Japan's
cooperation with and involvement inrelevant international organizations. VRs
are expected not only to help strengthen theDRR capacity of their own countries, butalso to further promote cooperation
between their countries and ADRC.
Flyer of the ADRC DRR Lecture Series
ADRC selected four VRs in FY2020,representing Bangladesh, India, Myanmar,and Thailand, but could not hold its regular on-site programme in Japan due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. ADRC therefore decided to conduct its programming online.
ADRC also selected four VRs in FY2021, representing Armenia, Mongolia,Pakistan, and Vietnam. Due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,
however, ADRC decided to conduct hold an ADRC DRR Lecture Series forsupporting the VR's research themes.
This 8-part Lecture Series was held in March 2022. ADRC invited Japanese
DRR experts to give lectures on a variety of topics, such as disaster management at
the national and local levels in Japan, disaster countermeasures for specificdisasters (e.g., earthquakes, floods), the promotion of DRR education in schools,and disaster prevention activities in cooperation with some of the most vulnerablepopulations during disasters. To publicize the VR programme broadly, this Lecture
Series was open not only to the eight selected VRs, but also to other officials in allof our ADRC member countries.
● Promoting Cooperation with Affiliated Institutions
Online Tsunami Seminar FY2021
On 9 March 2022, ADRC held an Online Tsunami Seminar FY2021 to promote
World Tsunami Awareness Day. This year, ADRC invited Assistant Professor
Mauricio Reyes Gallardo, from the University of Valparaiso in Chile, anothertsunami prone country, to participate. He gave a lecture entitled "Experience withTsunami Risk Reduction in Chile."
1ADRC Highlights

Vol. 349

Continued

He started by giving an overview of Chile in which
he described the historical events from the Spanish
colonization down to the modern day, explained thechanging population dynamics and increasing rate ofurbanization, and outlined the geographical as well as
topographical terrain of Chile that makes the country
prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. In terms of disasterrisks, he noted that Chile is a multi-hazard country, withearthquakes and tsunamis being its most notablehazards. He gave examples of earthquakes and tsunami
disasters that impacted Chile in 1960, 2007, 2010, and2015, among others.
Assistant Professor Mauricio Reyes Gallardo (Top right)
These tsunami experiences offered opportunities toimprove and strengthen tsunami risk management. First,
they led to technological improvements to tsunami early warning systems (e.g., the adoption of new tools
from Japan) and to continued efforts to monitor and conduct research on tsunami events. Second, they led tothe development and adoption of the National Building Code as well as the Reinforcement Code. Third, they
led to the application and improvement of "Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Maremotos" (SNAM) and"Sistema Integrado de Prediccion y Alarma de Tsunamis" (SIPAT), which keep people informed abouttsunami risks and help provide guidance relating to evacuation and safety measures. Despite improvements
in tsunami risk management, he said that Chile remains vulnerable to tsunamis due to the following factors:
lack of urban planning; societal, ecological, economical, and cultural complexities; lack of education; pooruse of technology; and poorly maintained infrastructure. He concluded that good risk governance is neededfor establishing systems that can bring order to the complexities of tsunami risk.
Finally, Mr NAKAGAWA Masaaki, Executive Director of ADRC, mentioned that the volcanic eruption
in Tonga in January 2022 and the subsequent tsunami remind us of the danger of tsunamis in many othercoastal countries. He concluded by saying that ADRC would promote tsunami disaster risk reduction by
sharing experiences and lessons learned in Japan and many other countries.
ADRC would like to express its sincere gratitude to all the participants. Please visit the following site fordetails of the Online Tsunami Seminar: https://www.adrc.asia/acdr/2021tsunami● Participation in International Conferences
ASEAN-Japan Public-Private Seminar on Innovative Policies and Technologies for DRR

During the first ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management Plus Japan (AMMDM + Japan) heldon 14 October 2021, ASEAN and Japan agreed to engage in mutually beneficial cooperation that leverages
innovation and technology in disaster management, including early warning, emergency response,
information sharing, data analysis, and business continuity. In line with this agreement (as well as tocontribute in the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency
Response (AADMER) Work Programme 2021-2025), the Cabinet Office of Japan and the ASEAN
Secretariat organized the "Public-Private Seminar on Innovative Policies and Technologies for Disaster Risk
Reduction," which was held online on 29 March 2022. Organizations in Japan, including ADRC, Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Climate Change Adaptation National Institute for EnvironmentalStudies (NIES), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd., OYO
Corporation, and PASCO CORPORATION collaborated on holding the seminar.
The speakers of Session 1: DRR Innovations included representatives from: the ASEAN Secretariat, whopresented the ASEAN Disaster Resilience Outlook (ADRO); JICA, who showed the 8 Steps in DevelopingLocal DRR Strategies; ADRC, who discussed DRR initiatives; NIES, who demonstrated climate projections;and JST, who introduced the concept of business continuity management (BCM). In his presentation, ADRC
Executive Director NAKAGAWA Masaaki highlighted the center's innovative activities, including the2ADRC Highlights

Vol. 349

Continued

Global unique disaster IDEntifier (GLIDE) system,Sentinel Asia, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System-EarlyWarning Service (QZSS-EWS), community-based DRR(e.g., Town Watching for DRR), and human resource
development (e.g., VR Programme, and DRR Training
commissioned by JICA).
The speakers of Session 2: DRR Technologies
included representatives from: ASEAN Coordinating
Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on DisasterManagement (AHA Center), who introduced the ICT
Presentation by ADRC Executive Director Mr NAKAGAWA
Roadmap on Disaster Management; Cabinet Office ofJapan, who presented on the Information Support Team (ISUT); Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd., whopresented on Flood Risk Information Using Big Data; OYO Corporation, who discussed "ServiBers" as arisk communication tool; and PASCO CORPORATION, who demonstrated the contributions of remotesensing technologies in DRR.
Outcomes of the seminar are expected to contribute to the implementation of the AADMER Work
Programme 2021-2025 and the development of the ASEAN-Japan Work Plan on Disaster Management2021-2025. The ASEAN secretariat also indicated that the Science and Technology Forum in 2023 is underconsideration.
● ADRC Staff ProfileMs HORIIKE Mie, Senior Administrative Manager

My name is HORIIKE Mie and I transitioned to ADRC
from the Hyogo prefectural government on 1 April 2022.
In my previous work at the Council of Local Authorities
for International Relations Beijing office, I supported theinternationalization efforts of local governments inJapan. I spent three years in Beijing, which was a very
valuable opportunity for me to look abroad.
I worked in the Fire and Disaster Management
Division of the Hyogo prefectural government for nineyears, 2008-2012 and 2015-2018. During my first term
there, I was involved in fire prevention and disastermanagement. During my second term, I was promoted tolocal disaster management activities. During my tenure, I
was engaged in disaster response operations, such as
those required after heavy rain struck Sayo-Town in 2009 and after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
I don't have much experience in the field of international disaster risk reduction, but I worked for theJapan Disaster Relief Team Secretariat at the JICA headquarters office from 2013 to 2014. In November
2013, I was dispatched to the Philippines, which was heavily damaged by super typhoon Haiyan. I served asa member of the medical team of the Japan Disaster Relief Team.
I will do my best as a member of ADRC. I look forward to working with you.

3