ID :
196345
Thu, 07/21/2011 - 16:26
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http://m.oananews.org//node/196345
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Japan, ASEAN to enhance disaster management cooperation+
NUSA DUA, Indonesia, July 21 Kyodo -
The foreign ministers of Japan and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Thursday to enhance cooperation in disaster management, drawing upon their respective experiences of major earthquakes and tsunami, a Japanese official said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto proposed to his ASEAN counterparts Tokyo's new initiative for a ''Disaster Management Network for the ASEAN Region,'' which involves sharing information and knowledge in preventing and managing disasters by such measures as deploying satellites.
The comprehensive network is also intended to improve disaster response capabilities in the region through the dispatch of Japanese experts, training sessions and the provision of funding, according to the official.
The initiative follows an accord in April between Matsumoto and ASEAN ministers to enhance coordination mechanisms to facilitate the flow of assistance during natural disasters.
The agreement was reached at a special Japan-ASEAN ministerial meeting held in Jakarta to show the regional bloc's solidarity with Japan in the wake of the March 11 quake and tsunami that have left more than 20,000 people dead or missing.
Some ASEAN countries were severely hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 160,000 people.
Japan also underlined its support for the just-launched ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management in Jakarta, which is aimed at facilitating regional cooperation to deal with natural disasters, the Japanese official said.
Tokyo will provide the newly established center with personnel and necessary equipment. Matsumoto also sought the participation of ASEAN countries in an international meeting Japan will host in 2012 to discuss how to cope with large-scale disasters, the official said.
The Japanese minister also proposed that the 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum should regularly conduct joint disaster relief exercises and ASEAN ministers welcomed his idea, he said. In March, Japan and Indonesia hosted an ARF joint drill in Manado in the Southeast Asian country, which drew more than 4,000 participants.
The Japanese and ASEAN ministers also reaffirmed Japan's commitment to economic development projects to enhance ''connectivity'' in the region by constructing infrastructure in such fields as transport and information communications technology and simplifying procedures for logistics service.
Such efforts to boost linkage in the region have been made to create an ASEAN Community by 2015.
Matsumoto also said Tokyo will provide middle management personnel in ASEAN countries with free educational programs to support human resources development in the region.
The Japanese minister expressed gratitude for ASEAN's support following the March 11 disaster, the official said.
He also briefed ASEAN ministers on progress in Tokyo's efforts to contain the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis triggered by the March calamity and called for more visitors to Japan, saying the disaster-hit nation is now ''open for business and travel,'' according to the official.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
==Kyodo
2011-07-21 21:21:02
The foreign ministers of Japan and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Thursday to enhance cooperation in disaster management, drawing upon their respective experiences of major earthquakes and tsunami, a Japanese official said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto proposed to his ASEAN counterparts Tokyo's new initiative for a ''Disaster Management Network for the ASEAN Region,'' which involves sharing information and knowledge in preventing and managing disasters by such measures as deploying satellites.
The comprehensive network is also intended to improve disaster response capabilities in the region through the dispatch of Japanese experts, training sessions and the provision of funding, according to the official.
The initiative follows an accord in April between Matsumoto and ASEAN ministers to enhance coordination mechanisms to facilitate the flow of assistance during natural disasters.
The agreement was reached at a special Japan-ASEAN ministerial meeting held in Jakarta to show the regional bloc's solidarity with Japan in the wake of the March 11 quake and tsunami that have left more than 20,000 people dead or missing.
Some ASEAN countries were severely hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 160,000 people.
Japan also underlined its support for the just-launched ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management in Jakarta, which is aimed at facilitating regional cooperation to deal with natural disasters, the Japanese official said.
Tokyo will provide the newly established center with personnel and necessary equipment. Matsumoto also sought the participation of ASEAN countries in an international meeting Japan will host in 2012 to discuss how to cope with large-scale disasters, the official said.
The Japanese minister also proposed that the 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum should regularly conduct joint disaster relief exercises and ASEAN ministers welcomed his idea, he said. In March, Japan and Indonesia hosted an ARF joint drill in Manado in the Southeast Asian country, which drew more than 4,000 participants.
The Japanese and ASEAN ministers also reaffirmed Japan's commitment to economic development projects to enhance ''connectivity'' in the region by constructing infrastructure in such fields as transport and information communications technology and simplifying procedures for logistics service.
Such efforts to boost linkage in the region have been made to create an ASEAN Community by 2015.
Matsumoto also said Tokyo will provide middle management personnel in ASEAN countries with free educational programs to support human resources development in the region.
The Japanese minister expressed gratitude for ASEAN's support following the March 11 disaster, the official said.
He also briefed ASEAN ministers on progress in Tokyo's efforts to contain the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis triggered by the March calamity and called for more visitors to Japan, saying the disaster-hit nation is now ''open for business and travel,'' according to the official.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
==Kyodo
2011-07-21 21:21:02
