## Recommendations

The earthquake which occurred off the Pacific coast of Tohoku region, in Japan, on March 11th 2011, showed once again the importance of Kominkan and CLCs. Needless to say that so far, Kominkan have played an important role as a place for local populations to "gather together, learn, and connect with each other". However, during this earthquake disaster, they played extremely important roles as an evacuation site and a stronghold for disaster victims to live during emergencies, as a place for gathering and exchanging information on the damage and information for living even circumstances are unimaginably difficult, as a place for residents to maintain the bond among themselves through mutual cooperation, as a place for encounters with many people, including supporters, and as a place where relationships of mutual trust and vitality to face tomorrow are created. It would not be an exaggeration to say that such active roles of Kominkan result from the fact that so far, Kominkan have been places where people could gather casually in everyday life, and where local residents planned their own self-actualization, and where activities to create pleasant local communities have been conducted successively through participation in various activities in the local area.

During the Sumatra earthquake in 2004, more than 200,000 people died because of the massive tsunami. Since then, the Indonesian government has been engaged in various efforts to raise people's awareness regarding disaster prevention, through a larger number of international organizations and aid groups. In Japan, this was done through non-formal education provided by local governments and higher education institutions. The "Wakayama Declaration" which was made during the Asian Youth Summit for Disaster Reduction, organized in 2006 under the sponsorship of the ACCU, is still fresh in our memories. Here again, Japan's experience lives.

It can be said that wherever the country or the region, Kominkan / CLCs play a substantial role in disaster prevention and during disasters. The reason is that Kominkan / CLCs themselves are places which support the lives of the local people, provide them with a safe place to stay, and connect people's feelings. For Kominkan / CLCs to exercise these functions, physical activity spaces and activity tools need to be put in place. In addition, it is indispensable to have professional human resources capable of understanding the current situation and the standpoints of both the local residents and the government, while giving consideration to the local public awareness and the wishes of a number of local groups. After these conditions are put in place, Kominkan / CLCs function dynamically for the first time.

In the future, Kominkan in Japan will be revitalized and will be seen as "strongholds for mutual assistance". In order for people to rebuild their lives and revitalize a pleasant area, there is need to support self-reliance and promote cooperation, and an absolute need of a "place" that brings about vitality for tomorrow. In the present Japanese society, there is no other way to achieve that except through revitalization and development of Kominkan.

The following is a summary of the findings obtained from a recent investigative study. Nowadays, Kominkan /CLCs have been put in place everywhere in the world, and enrich people's lives by supporting them. In that