News in Japan - March

GEJET
Four years on from the Tsunami
Rebuilding trust after the Fukushima disaster
Transfer of tainted Fukushima soil starts
Aftershocks continue 4 years after giant quake There were more than 8,100 aftershocks in the first year after the quake. This fell to about 1,600 by the second year, and about 1,000 by the third. 
Japan marks 4th anniversary of 3/11 disaster The government says nearly 230,000 people were still living in temporary housing as of February. It plans to build about 30,000 public housing units, but only 19 percent of them have been completed so far.
Public housing for Fukushima facing delays Fukushima Prefecture plans to build around 2,700 units for people affected by the earthquake and tsunami. 4,900 are planned for those affected by the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. But only 44 percent of the units for quake and tsunami victims were ready for occupancy at the end of February. Only 5 percent has been completed for the nuclear evacuees. Prefectural officials say they are having difficulty securing land to build the housing. They say there is also a shortage of construction workers amid the growth in reconstruction-related demands. The officials say it will take until 2018 or later to finish building all the units for the nuclear accident refugees.
The ongoing fallout from Japan’s nuclear meltdown Scientists are saying there is a 70 per cent chance that a magnitude 7.0 or higher quake will hit Tokyo by 2016 and a 98 per cent chance it will hit in the next 30 years. As reminder: Tokyo 'has 70% chance of powerful earthquake within four years' The earthquake research institute at Tokyo University said that in the worst case, a quake of magnitude 7 would hit the southern part of metropolitan Tokyo by 2016, while the chances of a similar disaster occurring within 30 years are as high as 98%. The government, by contrast, estimates the possibility of an earthquake that size striking the capital at 70% in the next three decades.

Japan

Shimizu Corp. unveils advanced earthquake lab

Netherlands

Dutch minister Schultz chair World Bank Advisory Board of Global Water Practice

Dutch government establishes response team to advise on water emergency situations

USA
Flood and drought risk to cities on rise even with no climate change (USA)

Other

India's "smart cities" would be stupid without disaster strategy

Youth-led disaster alerts protect Sri Lankan tsunami village

Flooding in Madagascar's capital kills 14, uproots thousands

Mekong Delta Plan Vietnam (WUR, Deltares) 

How rivers creep, flow to shape landscapes over time

Predicting the extent of flash flooding

Rapid coastal population growth may leave many exposed to sea-level rise

Ten-year review finds 87% of disasters climate-related
Aqueduct Global Flood Analyzer

Vulnerable people
Japanese women at a crossroads The number of married women in their 20s who think women should stay at home and focus on housework has risen from 35.7% in 2003 to 41.6% in 2013 Two thirds of them think mothers shouldn't be back at work until the children are three years old, and about the same percentage of women give up their jobs after having their first child.

WCDRR day 5

World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai - day 5

Today I attended the Exhibition building for the Public Works Research Institute exhibition of the Japanese government, as well as the Sendai Mediatheque where many NGOs and companies showcased their activities.

WCDRR day 4

World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai - day 4

Today I visited the AER TKP garden city building for a symposium with Japanese, Dutch and Italian experts on Disaster Risk Reduction. Many examples of infrastructure merging with local ecosystems and population demands were explained.

WCDRR day 3

World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai - day 3

In the middle of this conference I was able to visit 5 events on this day. The first was a technical session on the methods used in the Global Assessment Report 2015 at Tohoku university. The second and third took place at the International Center and covered financial aspects of disaster risk reduction. Another session there covered land use planning, while the last, at Tohoku university, was a very special session about the formation of a Delta Alliance, initiated by the Dutch government and attended by one of the Dutch princesses. 

WCDRR day 2

World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai - day 2

Today I visited 4 sessions, the first three at the Sendai international conference building and the last at Tohoku University, located on a beautiful hill side, at Hagi hall (presentations will follow). The hagi tree is the symbol of the university.

My main question during the presentation of the Global Assessment Report 2015 was how the work of the GAR differs from ICHARM's goal to make a risk index. The main points include ICHARM's focus on flood hazards, end point indicators of governance and resilience of communities, and the national level and cooperation with national governments in creating and applying the index data.

WCDRR day 1

World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai - day 1

Arriving in Sendai today, I only had time to visit two sessions after registration.The first session was held in the main conference building and concerned the Hyogo Framework for Action priority 2 where ICHARM member Sawano-san was a panel member; the second was a symposium held across town in the AEX tower where GRIPS students presented their finding. Below are the lessons learned from these sessions.

International Workshop on Sustainability Science

At the International Workshop on Sustainability Science from 4-5 March 2015, Dr. Lee Yee Cheong, Director of International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation under the auspices of UNESCO (ISTIC) said in his keynote lecture “MDGs were unambitious, silo-like and government-centric. Wealth creation and employment were not included. The next CSDs have not only 17 goals but also 169 targets. Unfortunately, however, reduction of military budget is not included. I consider G4 equitable quality education and G5 Gender equality most important.”
It is promising to see many world leaders are paying more attention to vulnerable people, now we have to see it translated into policies. At the upcoming World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai (14-18 March) the successor of the Hyogo Framework for Action will come into shape, setting the stage for the coming 15 years of both DRR and the new MDGs.