Participation in the UW-TU: AOS Symposium on Natural Disaster Management(2018/2/23)
Themes: International collaboration, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Public Health, Toilet problems in disaster
Place: Washington University (USA, Seattle)

As part of the activities between Washington and Tohoku University: Academic Open Space (UWTU: AOS), Symposium on Natural Disaster Management ~ Lessons from the Great East Japan
Earthquake and Prospects for the Future~ was held at Washington University, in Seattle,
Washington, on 23rd. Feb. 2018. Participants from IRIDeS included Director Fumihiko Imamura(Hazard and Risk Evaluation Research Division), Professor Shinichi Kuriyama (Disaster MedicalScience Division), Associate Professor Takako Izumi (Regional and Urban Reconstruction
Research Division), Assistant Professor Elizabeth Maly (Human and Social Response ResearchDivision) and Assistant Professor Tetsuya Torayashiki (Human and Social Response ResearchDivision). This event was organized by Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle and UW-TU: AOS
Thrust-3 Natural Disaster and Hazard. This Symposium was the 2nd Workshop held by UW-TU:
AOS Thrust-3, following the 1st workshop which was held in November, 2017. As a hub for disasterscience research, with international top-level research as a designated national university, thisinternational collaborative research activity became also a first step in practical disaster prevention
science development. In addition to academic members, this workshop was also joined by several
experts including: Mr. Tetsuya Mizutani (Construction Bureau Sewage Bureau) and Mr. Yasuyuki
Muraguchi (Earthquake Disaster Reconstruction Section) from Sendai City; Mr. Hideki Matsuzaki(former Mayor of Urayasu City), Mr. Atsushi Kato (Japan Toilet Labo) who joined the discussion ofthese issues. 83 people from government, public institutions, the media and staff of Universities
from Seattle participated.
AOS was established through the agreements between Washington University and Tohoku
University in April 2007, and is the fifth Overseas Representative Office in this university. The
purpose of AOS is to develop research collaboration between universities, holding workshops as
the gateway with researchers from many kind fields, as well as corporate practitioners andgovernment by organizing workshops and symposiums together, and also to be a place forexchange and cooperation to promote further international collaborative research system andindustry collaboration. The symposium including 3 sessions: Sharing of Experience and Lessons
from The Great East Japan Earthquake; Medical and Public Health Issues; and Specific Initiatives:
Current and Future. Question and answer sessions were held after the presentations in each of thesessions.
Presentations by IRIDeS members were as follows
Fumihiko Imamura: The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake: What Happened in Tohoku?
Shinichi Kuriyama: Challenge of Public Health to Disaster: Using Public Health Approach andArtificial Intelligence Techniques
Takako Izumi: Towards the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction:
Expectation and Role of Academia and its Initiatives
Elizabeth Maly: Post-Disaster Housing Recovery in Japan and Key Issues after the GEJE
Tetsuya Torayashiki: Emergency Toilet Management from a Viewpoint of Business Continuity
In the comprehensive discussion after the session, as a prospect of future efforts, we found out
how to convey the disaster experience and lessons of Japan to Seattle public institutions,companies and the general public, how we continuously provide a place of exchanging requests,
opinions received, and we felt those Seattle citizens who participated has a strong interest of thedisaster prevention.
Text: Fumihiko Imamura (Hazard and Risk Evaluation Research Division),
Tetsuya Torayashiki and Elizabeth Maly (Human and Social Response Research Division)(continues to the next page)Also, on February 22nd, the day before the symposium, the Seattle Municipal Crisis Management
Bureau and the Public Works Bureau discussed the opinions with the faculty members of ourinstitute from Sendai City, Urayasu City and the Japan Toilet Labo. In addition, at the consular
official residence reception after the symposium on 23rd, we deepened our friendship with thevarious organizations that participated in the symposium to strengthen our relationships in thefuture. Gensaifuroshiki (traditional Japanese wrapping cloth with disaster reduction messages),created by Mari Yasuda of IRIDeS, was presented to the Consul General Kazuaki Yamada, showing
the importance of traditional disaster-prevention culture in Japan.

Presentation (Prof. Imamura)

Presentation (Prof. Kuriyama)

Presentation (Assoc. Prof. Izumi)

Presentation (Asst. Prof. Maly)

Presentation (Asst. Prof. Torayashiki)

Symposium

Symposium participants from Japan

Present to the Counsel General