Japanese week in Brussels 2013

-In commemoration of the 2nd anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake-

Kobe University Symposiumin collaboration with European Economic and Social Committee

ProGrAMMe
Opening: 10:00 - 10:20
HE Mr Kojiro Shiojiri, Ambassador of Japan to the European Union
Mr Henri Malosse, President of Employers’ Group, European Economic and Social Committee
Professor Noriyuki Inoue, President of EU Institute in Japan, Kansai
Part I: 10:20 - 12:30

EU-Japan economies: issues and perspectives

Part II: 14:15 - 17:20

Disaster recovery support from scientiﬁc/academic perspectives

Closing: 17:20 - 17:30Professor Hiromasa Kubo, Executive Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre

Photo exhibition by Mr Katsumi Hirabayashi

Dawn in Tohoku

2prevention and preparedness measures. The following new Kobe Framework will be implemented

HE Mr Kojiro Shiojiri

Ambassador of Japan to the European Union

for the post 2015 period. It serves as an important
example of our past experiences shaping our future
responses.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It is a great pleasure,Japan and the EU are facing serious economic andfinancial challenges. Now the EU is struggling toovercome the EU debt crisis and Japan is struggling

privilege for me to be here withyou at the Kobe University
Symposium during “Japaneseto get out from the deflation which has lasted almost
20 years. And we face the challenge of competitiveness. How do we make our economies and socie-week in Brussels 2013.”
It has been two years since theGreat East Japan Earthquake.

ties more competitive under the circumstances weboth face, such as declining population and the riseof emerging economies? It is through sharing views

For those who lost loved ones, life goes on and they
had to adapt to a totally changed and harsher reality.
Even if their sorrow will not disappear, many of them
have chosen to live with their heads up and shoulders back. Their minds begin to turn to the future as
they look to move forward.
Today’s symposium is unique. It offers a forum tolook beyond current thinking and discover new platforms and new paradigms from which we can realize
a better tomorrow.
Our discussions today focus on disaster prevention and Japan-EU economies, areas where we canactively demonstrate the benefit of sharing experiences and finding new platforms.
Here I would like to share one of our experiences in
the Great East Japan Earthquake. In Kamaishi City,
which was badly hit by the tsunami, over one thousand people lost their lives or are missing. On theand experiences that we can find a new paradigm, a
new way of thinking to overcome our challenges.
And it is on this point we see the worth of today’s
symposium. We have a lot of room to work together
in and this symposium will bring forward new opportunities for collaboration. Each day of work, eachnew discussion and each new collaboration, canunlock a new paradigm. For this perspective, I amvery much looking forward to the discussion of thissymposium. Thank you.

other hand, of around three thousand elementaryand high-school students in the city, 5 students losttheir lives. It means 99.8% of the students survived.
These students on their own initiative and without
waiting for instructions, climbed to higher ground,owing this to the disaster prevention education they
had received. With this education, students learned
first and foremost to safeguard their own lives bythemselves.
Now I would like to remind you of the home cityof today’s hosts, Kobe. After the Great Hanshin
Earthquake in 1995, the Kobe Framework wasestablished, offering a new paradigm in disasterprevention. It shifted the paradigm for disaster risk
management from post disaster response to a morecomprehensive approach that would also include3

to which Japan is prepared for earthquakes, buteven as probably the most prepared society, theHenri Malosse

President of Employers’ Group
European Economic and Social Committee

most prepared country, you experienced so muchdevastation, mainly due to the tsunami. So prevention is the key, thus we should devote more funds
and more effort, to prevention. This is for me themain lesson we can gain from what happened. Concerning the protection of nature is the importance ofExcellency, president, professors, ladies and gentlemen,prevention, what we call in French “Principe de Précaution”, we should always take care whatever wedo and make impact assessment in advance!

dear colleagues, it is very important for us, for the European
Economic and Social Commit-Second, we just mentioned one other very importantvalue, which is social responsibility. What happenedin Fukushima after the earthquake and after the tsu-tee, which is a unique assembly
here in Brussels representing
civil society. We are not politi-

nami showed us how important it is for both government and the private sector to share responsibility intimes of trouble. The reaction of some private companies, namely the one who rules the Fukushima
nuclear plant, seemed from Europe, not to havebeen transparent enough.
To be socially responsible is to recognize the obligation of transparency. The dissemination of information is an obligation for everybody, but mainly companies and public sector in very sensitive sectors
such as energy. Social responsibility is a value weshare together.
The third value we share together is solidarity. Of
course solidarity can be seen in our being here withyou and hosting this event. Solidarity was also seenin the marvellous reaction of the Japanese people
after the earthquake and the tsunami.
The news we see on French TV is of people living

cians, we are not technocrats, nothing against politicians, nothing against technocrats, we are useful
but we are different.
We represent employers. I am now chairing the Employers’ Group. Some of our colleagues here represent the workers. But in Europe it is values that arethe most important.
Last Sunday when I was still in Brussels, I participated in a rally for the 54th anniversary of the Tibetan
uprising. That took place on the 10 of March 1959.
I was there to express our support for the Tibetan
nation in their quest for more freedom, solidarity andfreedom of expression.
Although today is a totally different occasion, when I
was asked by my dear colleague, Vice-President ofEmployers’ Group - Eve Päärendson to participate inand host this symposium on the second anniversaryof the Great East Japan Earthquake I thought it was
something the European Economic and Social Com-in and around the region of earthquake and how
feelings of solidarity have grown between them.
How young people help old people, old people help
young children, it is also true that some European

mittee should do. The values we want to promote, inthe European Union were founded on values after
the Second World War, values of peace, values ofsolidarity, values of democracy. This is why we haveto support our friend Japan in her time of need.
Moreover, what happened to Japan could have hap-and Japanese companies have displayed an awareness of their social responsibility having been active
in showing solidarity with the affected areas.
So, the values of taking care of nature, social responsibility and solidarity are ones we share together. This is why we feel that this commemoration

pened to us.
First, the value of preservation of nature. I’m notso-called green; I have not made my career as anis very important issue for both, for the Japanesenation, and also very important for us. Thank you.

environmentalist, but it is a very important value forall of us including both entrepreneurs and employers. What happened 2 years ago in Japan with theEarthquake and Tsunami showed us how importantthe concept of prevention is. We all know the extent
4Noriyuki Inoue

President of EU Institute in Japan, KansaiDistinguished guests, ladies
and gentlemen, first it is a great
pleasure for me to hold thissymposium as one event ofJapan week in Brussels andwelcome you today. On behalfof Kobe University, I would liketo express my sincere gratitude
to his Excellency Ambassador Mr Shiojiri, Missionof Japan to the European, Union for his support oftoday’s symposium, and Mr Henri Malosse and hiscollegues of the European Economic and Social
Committee for co-organizing this event. Moreover,
we have in attendance a prominent researcher fromTohoku University, who was affected a great deal by
the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
I would like to say thank you for coming to Brussels
today. But regrettably I have to inform you that Professor Hormoz Modaressi, the French researcher,could not participate in this symposium because ofyesterday’s bad weather.
As a university which experienced a mega disaster18 years ago, Kobe University has constantly been
thinking of the people in the affected and devastatedregion and collaborating with Tohoku University inthe recovery process.
The day before yesterday was the second anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. On this occasion Kobe University reaffirmed
its commitment to contribute to the reconstruction of
the area and also the establishment of the resilient,sustainable and safe society against mega disasters. So, together let’s consider this theme throughthis symposium today.
Enjoy yourself and thank you very much.

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