Iran, Japan cooperate on quake management: Tokyo ambassador

TEHRAN, March 15 (MNA) -- Japanese Ambassador to Iran Kinichi Kumano said on Monday that Iran and Japan have had cooperation on earthquake management.

Ambassador Kinichi made the remarks in an interview with the Mehr News Agency and Tehran Times on Monday after the biggest earthquake on record to hit Japan rocked the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-meter tsunami that killed hundreds of people and raised concerns about a nuclear disaster.

Kinichi stated that Iranian and Japanese experts have conducted research studies on how to reduce damage and the death rate in an earthquake which some specialists have predicted will strike Tehran as the city sits on several fault lines.

The focus of the studies was on the establishment of an emergency communication network which can be used if a disaster takes place, the ambassador said.

Kinichi added Japan has considerable experiences in earthquake management and is ready to share its experiences with Iran.

Japan had anticipated such a disaster

Asked if Japanese nuclear experts had taken the possibility of such a disaster into consideration and had taken the necessary safety measures to handle the crisis, Kinichi said Japan is an earthquake-prone country and for sure had not ruled out the possibility of such a disaster.

However, other states must take a lesson from this happening and make sure that their nuclear facilities meet the highest safety standards.