2023•01•31     The Japan Times

On 30 January 2023, The Japan Times published an article on the contribution of scientists in Japan to disaster resilience in Asia and the Pacific, and the country’s unique “disaster-reduction culture” built on its experience of past disasters such as the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. It features expert comments by UNU-IAS researcher Mahesti Okitasari.

Excerpt:

“I think Japan has really caught on to the importance of learning and recording what’s happening and how they can then respond to that in terms of urban planning,” [Mahesti Okitasari] says, pointing to Japan’s long history of disaster-related record-keeping and the large-scale government funded infrastructure projects — including seawalls and levees — built to protect against natural hazards.

The full article is available on the Japan Times website.