Press Releases

1 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will hold a Seminar on Disaster Measures for the Diplomatic Corps in Tokyo on September 2 during Disaster Prevention Week. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhide Nakayama is scheduled to give the opening remarks at the seminar.

2 Soon after the Great East Japan Earthquake hit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Consular Affairs Bureau responded to inquiries from embassies and supported their effort in confirming the safety of their nationals residing in Japan. At this year's seminar, we will promote the use of IT (information technology) tools (or apps) designed to help confirm the safety of foreign residents in Japan as well as disseminate the information in the event of a disaster, by canvassing the undertakings pursued by the organizations that are related to disaster management. The seminar is organized against the backdrop of the Japanese government's effort of recent years, such as promotion of Japan as a tourism-oriented country and hosting of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. The seminar will attempt to facilitate bi-directional discussion between the system (or app) developers and the members of the diplomatic community with a view towards improving the usefulness of these IT-enabled systems. In addition, it is hoped that in preparation for a major disaster, the seminar will help strengthen the human network among those responsible for ensuring the safety of their own natiaonls such as those in charge of consular affairs, as it provides an occation to meet each other in one place. In this respect, this year's seminar continues on the tradition from the one held last year.

3 At the seminar, we will also brief the audience on "Tabi- Regi (Travel Register)" system which was developed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for disseminating information to Japanese nationals travelling overseas during emergency situations. The smartphone app version was also released last month. In addition, we will offer to those who are interested, an opportunity to ride the Earthquake Simulator, thanks to the assistance from Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.