"The World and Japan" Database (Project Leader: TANAKA Akihiko)
Database of Japanese Politics and International Relations
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS); Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia (IASA), The University of Tokyo

[Title] India-Japan Cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

[Place]
[Date] October 29, 2018
[Source] Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
[Notes]
[Full text]

As two of the most disaster prone countries in the world, India and Japan have been cooperating in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the implementation and follow-up of the Sendai Framework In January 2018, Japan participated along with 20 other countries in an international workshop hosted by India as a follow up to the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) held in New Delhi in November 2016 where Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi announced that India would be willing to partner with other countries and stakeholders to develop a coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure.

An important milestone in India-Japan cooperation in the field of DRR came during the visit of PM Abe to India in September 2017 for the India-Japan Annual Summit when the two sides concluded a bilateral MoC between Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, and the Cabinet Office, the Government of Japan, on cooperation in DRR, Prevention, Response, Recovery and Reconstruction. From the Indian side, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the nodal agency for implementation of the MoC. Under the MoC, the first Japan-India Workshop on DRR was held in New Delhi in March 2018 with six well-considered sessions such as – Preparedness, Early Warning System and Approaches by Private Sector. At the workshop, apart from sharing Japan's approach of "Build Back Better", it also showcased its technologies in early warning systems and shared its own experience in disaster-preparedness. Based on the workshop, Earthquake Early Detection and Warning System, Disaster Risk Assessment particularly with regards to earthquakes and sharing of experiences and good practices on public awareness (e.g. through mock exercises) were identified as concrete action points to take the India-Japan cooperation in this field forward.

Second workshop was held in Tokyo on 15 October 2018. The workshop focused on three topics; (i) Exercise and training, (ii) meteorological hazard, in view of several critical flooding's happened in both countries in 2018, and (iii) early warning system from policy and technology perspectives.

apan's ODA relevant to DRR: Apart from the above, Japan has been extending its assistance to India through resilient infrastructure development as well as technical cooperation on natural disaster management in forested areas and sustainable development of mountainous highways.