EU-Japan ready for a new stage in relations?
This document highlights disaster management and relief as one area where EU and Japan can work even more closely together. Citing EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, it argues that the EU can learn from Japan on “how to engage with society to create a mind-set of preparedness” – and praises the resilience of the Japanese people when faced with the devastating earthquake and subsequent nuclear meltdown at Fukushima.
It highlights three areas where the EU and Japan can cooperate and build a “more resilient future”, namely: (i) Making the economic case for disaster risk management; (ii) building a broad-based domestic coalition for action (in particular with the insurance industry); and (ii) building a broad international coalition for action.
The overall document reports on a meeting of a Friends of Europe conference organised in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on the 3rd anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake for the European Union (EU) and Japanese representatives to consider prospects for further deepening and expanding bilateral relations.