In December 2015, a general assembly of the United Nations created a “World Tsunami Awareness Day.” November 5, 2017 was the second such “World Tsunami Awareness Day,” and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, with the cooperation of IRIDeS, sponsored a “World Tsunami Museum Conference” in the city of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture.

The island of Ishigaki is thought to have been struck by tsunamis numerous times in the past, with historical records showing major damage from the Meiwa Tsunami of 1771. In addition, it is well-known that tsunamis have carried many large “tsunami boulders” inland on the island.

Associate Professor Goto explains “tsunami boulders” on a tour of Ishigaki Island prior to the conference

At the World Tsunami Museum Conference, representatives of museums for tsunami or disaster prevention, such as Wakayama Prefecture’s “Inamura-no-Hi no Yakata,” gathered from places such as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Portugal, and Turkey to share museum activities and issues. Prof. Shuichi Kawashima and Assoc. Prof. Kazuhisa Goto of IRIDeS lectured the group on tsunami boulders from the perspectives of folklore and geology. In addition, the gathering screened the 3D documentary “O-tsunami 3.11 Mirai e no Kioku” [The Great Tsunami of 3/11: Memories for the Future] (produced by NHK Media Technology, supervised by Prof. Fumihiko Imamura, director at the IRIDeS), which provides a record of the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent rebuilding. While increasing their understanding of tsunami, conference attendees shared the current state of tsunami museums around the world as well as the issues they face, ensuring that for those working in tsunami museums and in disaster prevention, the conference was a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the importance of global partnerships.

Representatives of tsunami museums from around the world engage in discussion

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