International Energy Seminar on "Smart Community Proposals for Reconstructing Disaster-Affected Areas" to be Held

January 10, 2012
Japanese

On Friday, March 2, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of the Environment will jointly host an International Energy Seminar in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture on "Smart Community Proposals for Reconstructing Disaster-Affected Areas", with cooperation from the Prefecture.
Many local municipalities that suffered damage as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake, including Fukushima Prefecture, are seeking to create new communities, for example, by encouraging the use of renewable energies, and to disseminate this effort to inside and outside of Japan. Based on the above-mentioned intention, the International Energy Seminar will be held with the goal of contributing to the consideration and realization of reconstruction plans for disaster-affected areas.
The Seminar will be participated by citizens and local government officials from disaster-affected areas, experts and company representatives in fields related to renewable energies and energy conservation, and the ministries, agencies and organizations concerned. At the Seminar, proposals for achieving smart communities in disaster-affected areas such as Fukushima Prefecture are scheduled to be put forward by energy-related international organizations and specialists from inside and outside Japan via discussions on advanced initiatives in the smart community concept and the future direction of the concept.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is promoting "open reconstruction" to the world, and as one step in supporting that it hopes to utilize the world’s expertise to assist with creating new communities in disaster-affected areas by inviting energy-related international organizations and specialists at the forefront of advanced initiatives abroad to participate in the discussions at the Seminar. Furthermore, as the follow-up of the Seminar, the Ministry plans to externally disseminate initiatives and outcomes in achieving the creation of new communities in disaster-affected areas.
One month before the Seminar is held details will be published on the websites and in press releases of the ministries and agencies concerned including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an invitation for members of the general public to participate is scheduled to be made alongside this.

Seminar Information and Registration
(*The foregoing is a provisional translation. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

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