On October 14, Ambassador Endo Kazuya delivered the opening remarks at the Fifth World Tsunami Museum Conference (WTMC5), one of the side events in the week-long Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Building on the four previous World Tsunami Museum Conferences, the focus of WTMC5 this year was “Empowering the Next Generation: Roles of Disaster Museums for a Resilient Future”.

In his remarks, Ambassador Endo conveyed that “the opportunities to educate and empower children in disaster risk reduction are crucial, enabling them to protect themselves and become agents of a resilient future in their families and communities.

He further expressed that “museums play an important role in passing on the experiences, lessons, and wisdom gained from facing tsunamis and other disasters to the next generation.”

Also attending the conference were Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Mayor of the City of Sendai, Japan, Kohri Kazuko, and head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Kobe Office, Matsuoka Yuki.

A group of high school students from Sendai City, Japan, also participated to present their project about a guide to visiting DRR museums. Japan Information and Culture Center