2009 Oct 27, Japan

1.Introduction

The Japan-Italy Symposium on Risk Management and Governance to Cope With Natural Disaster was held on October 27, 2009 starting at 1:00 pm at Mita Kaigisho. This Symposium was intended for the presentation of research results under the Agreement on the Japan-Italy Joint Laboratory for Research, Training and Documentation on Hydro-geological Risks signed in 2004 and hosted by the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (hereafter NILIM) as part of the “Landslide Hazard Assessment and Mitigation,” an executive program agreed on at the 8th meeting of the Japan-Italy Joint Committee on Cooperation in Science and Technology (held on December 28, 2007 in Tokyo), and as an event “Italy in Japan 2009” currently under way.

2.Outline of the symposium

2.1 Program

Following the host’s opening address by Mr. Akira TERAKAWA, Executive Director for Research Affairs of the NILIM, two guests Mr. Hiroshi MAKINO, Director General of Sabo Department, MLIT and Mr. Alberto Mengoni, Acting Italian Ambassador to Japan and Counselor in charge of science and technology, gave addresses. Subsequently, one keynote lecture was given by a speaker from each of Japan and the Republic of Italy and a presentation was given on each of the following three topics by a speaker from the respective country.

Topic 1:

Risk management system to address sediment-related disasters-system of law and command

Topic 2:

Case examples of risk management systems

Topic 3:

Recent research results on risk management systems and risk assessment

2.2 Outline of presentations

2.2.1 Keynote lectures

Mr. Hideki TERADA, Director of the Research Center for Disaster Risk Management, NILIM, spoke under the title of “Sediment-related Disasters Caused by Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake and Risk Management” to give an overview of the characteristics of 15 major landslide dams and measures taken to address them, the debris flow that occurred in Sanhazama River and landslide generated in Aratozawa Dam. He also presented the new technology developed and adopted for the sediment-related disaster. Alessandro Pasuto, Director of the Research Institute for Hydrogeological Protection, Italian National Research Council (CNR-IRPI) of Padova, gave a lecture entitled “Mountain Disaster Risk: from Prediction through Management to Governance” and presented a Mountain Disaster Risk Project conducted by the European Union.

2.2.2 Topic 1

Mr. Tadaaki IWAO, Cabinet Office Deputy Director, spoke of the flow of emergency response by the national government in Japan based on law and case examples. In particular, he described the coordination between ministries and agencies by the Cabinet Office.

Mr. Mariano Carraro, Head of the Department of Civil Protection, Region of Veneto, gave a presentation entitled “Risk Management System in the Region of Veneto-Regional Function Center” and described the disaster prevention system in the region.

2.2.3 Topic 2

Mr. Mauro Cardinali, researcher of the CNR-IRPI of Perugia, spoke under the title of “2009 L’Aquila Earthquake and Its Consequences-Technical and Academic Activities in Emergency Measures and Subsequent Measures” and presented an overview of the sediment-related disasters caused by L’Aquila Earthquake and the result of risk assessment on rockfalls and landslides after the earthquake.

Mr. Toshiaki KOTAKE, Technical Expert in Construction of River Planning Section, River Department, Tohoku Regional Development Bureau, spoke under the title of “The Activities of the TEC-FORCE in 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake” and gave an explanation about the emergency checkup for sediment-related disaster hazard areas conducted immediately after the occurrence of the earthquake and the evaluation of the level of danger of landslide dams and emergency measures.

2.2.4 Topic 3

The author gave a presentation entitled “Risk Management in 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake” to explain the results of assessment of sediment / flood risk on the lower reaches conducted immediately after the earthquake occurred. Mr. Gian Paolo Cavinato, researcher of the CNR-IRPI of Rome, spoke under the title of “L’Aquila Earthquake: Risk Management and Ground Deformation” and described the result of the creation of dynamic ground map based on the results of various surveys including a drilling survey conducted after the earthquake.