JAPAN-ASEAN Disaster Relief Study Tour -Vientiane Vision Initiative-

● Ministry of Defense conducted "JAPAN-ASEAN Disaster Relief Study Tour" based on the "Vientiane Vision" on August 30th and September 1st, 2017, inviting participants from Embassies of ASEAN countries in Japan. In total of 18 defense attaché and diplomats from Brunei, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam joined the program.

● On August 30th, the group visited the Cabinet Office (Disaster Response Operation) and received an explanation about disaster management framework and disaster response operations of the Government of Japan. Then, the group visited "the Main Wide-Area Disaster Management Base Facility in the Tokyo Bay Waterfront Area" and received an explanation of the facility from officers of the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. After looking around the facility, the group joined the disaster prevention experience-learning tour at SONA AREA TOKYO.

● On September 1st, the group visited the venue for "Joint Disaster Drill by 9 Cities and Prefectures" in Odawara city, Kanagawa Prefecture. The participants paid a courtesy call on the Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera at the venue. Furthermore, the group visited the Disaster Prevention Fair, training area with citizen participation and the Search and Rescue exercise.

● During this 2-day program, there were lively discussions, and it was a precious opportunity for the MOD to introduce the participants to learn not only disaster management and disaster response of the Government of Japan but also cooperation among national and local governments, grass-roots disaster prevention initiatives, etc.