Fostering Exchanges for Mutual Understanding
Road Technology, Disaster Prevention and Earthquake Design

(1)

Under the Agreement on Cooperation in Road Science and Technology, concluded in May 1992 in accordance with the Japan-U.S. Science and Technology Agreement, joint research and workshops in specific fields are already in progress.

(2)

Japan and the United States have agreed to exchange research information on automatic toll systems and automatic road transport systems undertaken as part of the Integrated Transport System (ITS) initiative. In an associated personnel exchange, a Japanese specialist in the field of roadway environments will be dispatched to the U.S. Department of Transportation in August 1996.

(3)

In the field of disaster prevention, Japan and the United States are building closer ties through work on safe design of buildings, bridges and roads. January 1995 saw a joint study into damage from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, while an international workshop on earthquake-resistant bridge design held in Japan in March 1995 provided an important opportunity for the exchange of information on the Northridge and Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquakes.

Agreement was reached at the January 1995 U.S.-Japan Summit Meeting on the staging of a Joint Earthquake Symposium, where we will discuss future cooperation, formulate a program for exchange of knowhow and experience, and develop strategies for information exchange with other nations.