## (5) Disaster Reduction and Post-Disaster Reconstruction

Disasters caused by earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, floods, mudslides, and other natural events that occur frequently in countries around the world do not merely take human lives and properties. In developing countries that are vulnerable to disasters, poverty group suffer significant damage, and become disaster refugees in many cases. In addition, secondary damage such as the deterioration of sanitary conditions and food shortages may become long-term, making the problem more severe. In this manner, disasters have a significant impact on the overall social and economic mechanisms of developing countries.

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Japan utilizes its superior expertise and technology acquired through past experiences with natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons to provide proactive support in the areas of disaster prevention and post-disaster recovery, as well as emergency assistance. In 2005 at the second World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 was adopted as a basic guideline for disaster reduction activities in the international community. Japan partners with the United Nations and other organizations to promote worldwide

## Japan Disaster Relief Team

Japan has established a structure to facilitate emergency assistance in response to requests from the government of a disaster-affected country or international organization, when major disaster damage has occurred. Japan utilizes four types of Japan Disaster Relief Team to provide humanitarian aid: (i) Search and Rescue Team to search and rescue victims, (ii) Medical Team to provide urgent

A member of the Japan Disaster Relief Medical Team tests for malaria as part of Japan's aid for flood damage in Pakistan (Photo: JICA)

Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Osamu Fujimura meets with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at a special session of the UN General Assembly related to flood damage in Pakistan

implementation.

At the conference, Japan also announced the Initiative for Disaster Reduction through ODA, which represents Japan's basic policy on cooperation in disaster risk reduction. Japan expressed its intent to continue proactive support the self-help efforts by developing countries toward building a disaster-resilient society through institution building, human resource development, development of economic and social infrastructure, and other measures.

medical assistance, (iii) Expert Team to give technical advice or guidance on disaster prevention and damage mitigation, and (iv) Self-Defense Force unit to be dispatched when it has been judged to be particularly necessary when a large-scale disaster has occurred. In addition, Japan provides emergency relief goods as

material aid. Japan manages several warehouses in overseas with a stock of tents, generators, blankets, and other goods needed to enable victims to live for the immediate future, and Japan is always prepared to provide relief goods to affected countries when a disaster has occurred. In addition, to provide relief to victims and evacuees from natural disasters and conflicts, Japan disburses Emergency Grant Aid to the governments of a disaster-affected country and to the International organizations and Red Cross, which provide emergency assistance areas affected by disasters.

In FY2010, Japan dispatched a total of 11 Japan Disaster Relief Teams to Pakistan, Indonesia, and New Zealand, and sent emergency relief goods on a total of 15 different occasions