Organization

The IRIDeS, Tohoku University collaborated with the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) to establish the Multi-Hazards Program in 2013. It aims to harness the collective capacities of APRU universities for cutting-edge research on DRR and contribute to international policy-making processes to improve DRR capacity in the region. I have been the program director since its inception and am responsible for planning, coordinating, and managing its activities. Major activities include a summer school, annual symposium, and campus safety program. In addition, the program plays an important role in managing a new international journal called Progress in Disaster Science, which is published by Elsevier and contributes to the international sharing of disaster science research. Furthermore, in order to share the program's research findings and recommendations in international discussions, I have been contributing to discussions at the global level by participating in various international conferences and meetings including the UN’s Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Asian Ministerial Conference on DRR.     
 

I have been carrying out a project called Strengthening the Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity to Improve the Safety and Security of Communities by Understanding Disaster Risks in Malaysia with University of Technology Malaysia, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the Slangor State in Malaysia. This project aims to equip local governments and community leaders with the skills and knowledge necessary to build a DRR program at the grassroots level and from the bottom up with the unique approach of instilling a science-based understanding of disaster risks in community leaders, members, and local authorities and having them work together to develop DRR activities and programs that are best suited to their needs and understandings.    

In the field of humanitarian assistance, the major actors include international organizations, NGOs, donors, and governments. In particular, the roles of local actors, such as NGOs, NPOs, municipalities, small and medium-sized enterprises, and communities are extremely important. In case of disasters in Japan, the support and leadership of municipalities and local NGOs and NPOs is increasingly important, especially due to the impacts of population degradation and an aging society. For that reason, I have also been conducting research on the roles of local NGOs and NPOs involved in disaster risk management and their future contributions based on the experiences of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011, the Kumamot earthquake in 2016, and the Western Japan flood in 2018, focusing on the collaboration between municipalities and local NGOs and NPOs.