On Monday 11 March 2024, UTS IPPG’s Centre for Local Government had the privilege to co-host the 2024 CLAIR Forum with the Japanese Local Government Centre. The CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations) Forum provides an opportunity for Australian and New Zealand government officials and academics to exchange knowledge with peers and visiting experts from Japan on a topic of mutual interest.
This year’s forum focused on Disaster Management and Resilience, with guest speakers sharing their knowledge on the practices of prevention, response, and recovery to disasters in local governments in Australia and Japan. In all, we heard from presentations from seven speakers, providing a detailed exploration of this critically important topic.
Tomoyuki "Tom" Takemura (Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) opened the forum by providing an excellent overview of the Japanese administration system in the context of disasters in Japan. Tom outlined the three-tier government system of Japan, along with their unique roles during times of disaster prevention and reduction, the outbreak of a disaster, and recovery and reconstruction. Tom also guided us through the benefits of the Counterpart System, named for its one-to-one relationship between disaster-affected municipalities and their assigned prefectures or cities.
Next we heard from Reiko Kunisaki (Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Fukuoka Prefectural Government) who introduced us to evacuation assistance processes in Fukuoka. Reiko outlined strategies such as resident evacuation plans, seminars and training and practical simulations, along with thoughtful insights for improving vulnerable resident evacuations in the future.
Following Reiko, we had the privilege of hearing from Kana Tsujiwaki (Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Wakayama Prefectural Government). Kana presented on initiatives for maximising lifesaving in the legacy of Hamaguchi Goryo who helped guide Hiromura villagers to safety during the 1854 Ansei Earthquake Tsunami. Kana led us through a variety of initiatives which included establishing safety levels in evacuation destinations, and readying mobile gas stations and tank trucks for refueling amid disasters.
From the Australian perspective, we heard from Vanessa Chan (Adjunct Associate Professor, UTS Centre for Local Government) who presented on behalf of Nicole Parsons (Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation (ISJO)). Vanessa covered three key strategies taken by the ISJO for disaster risk reduction. These included building resilience of critical infrastructure, improving access to spatial data, and finding solutions from research and technology for multi-hazard monitoring and disaster risk reduction.
Shinnosuke Matsumoto (Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Ichihara City Council) introduced us to disaster management in Ichihara City. Shinnosuke discussed strategies ranging from the city’s disaster response structure, the establishment of temporary Disaster Management Headquarters, and the facilitation of evacuation shelters and emergency supplies.
Following Shinnosuke, Hideaki Ota (Assistant Director, CLAIR Sydney / Odawara City Council) provided insight into the disaster medical system in Japan. In particular, Hideaki presented on the roles of the central government, prefectures and disaster base hospital in the event of a disaster, as well as real-world examples of the important work of the Disaster Medical Assistant Team (DMAT).
Finally, Tommaso Briscese and Miriam Wassef (Burwood Council) shared the key themes of their ‘Burwood Bounce Back’ initiative, a post-COVID Economic Reactivation and Resilience Building Project for Burwood. The project was delivered through five activity streams; outdoor dining and entertainment, events and public space activation, Burwood After Dark, business recognition and support, and council subsidies and fee waivers.
After an insightful Q&A session with the audience, this wrapped up yet another successful CLAIR Forum and another exciting exchange of knowledge and experience between Australia and Japan focusing on the challenges facing local government. Thank you again to our wonderful guest speakers and to everyone who attended such an engaging and informative event.
