UNDRR & ARISE Japan joint symposium 2026 showcases how Japanese private sector and multistakeholder partners advance investment in resilience and translate science into practical action

UNDRR and ARISE Japan marked the 15^th year after the Great East Japan Earthquake by hosting a joint symposium titled “UNDRR & ARISE Japan joint symposium 2026: Strengthening disaster risk reduction by advancing investment in resilience and translating science into Practical Action”. The event brought Mr. Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Head of UNDRR, together with Japanese DRR experts from the private, public, and academia sectors in Tokyo on 10 March 2026 for an intensive three-hour discussion. 

Under the expert overall moderation by Ms. Yuki Matsuoka from UNDRR, Mr. Masato Takamatsu, ARISE Japan Lead, opened the symposium by welcoming the over 100 in-person participants in the room. “The case studies you will hear today, particularly in the second session, are previews of an upcoming publication prepared by ARISE Japan to contribute to APMCDRR in 2027, which will take place in Sendai city, Japan” he noted. 

The first session of the symposium opened with remarks from Mr. Kamal Kishore, who said “Building societal resilience cannot be done only by the governments, and it is the private sector that galvanizes human creativity to create conditions for human flourishing. Japan leads the way in how the private sector provides services, products and systems that very directly to disaster risk reduction, how to make it available in an affordable way across the world. And he expressed his expectation to Japan to infuse their sense of energy and camaraderie in the private sector everywhere. 

Following Mr. Kishore, Prof. Tomohito Yamada, Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, discussed a development of a disaster risk assessment framework utilizing climate change projections, which employs an "integrated predictive approach combining physics and statistics" to generate "seamless ensemble climate information" for assessing future and present hydro-meteorological risks. By utilizing this scientific risk information through back-casting, the framework promotes "co-creation-based" disaster preparedness actions among local communities and businesses to achieve a "Build Back Better" society. 

Prof. Koji Ikeuchi, President, Foundation of River & Basin Integrated Communications (FRICS), President, Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo described on-going efforts by the Japanese government by revisiting flood control plans to reflect climate model projections and strengthening non-structural measures, including the provision of real-time river information. He presented a case study of river improvement works on the Onga River, showing that the flood damage reduction benefits realized during a single flood event exceeded the total investment cost. “Pre-disaster measures – encompassing both structural and non-structural approaches – should not be reviewed merely as costs, but as highly effective investments” noted Prof. Ikeuchi.

Mr. Satoshi Sasakura, General Manager, the NTT East Disaster Resilience and Social Innovation Institute described the survey conducted among 200 local governments (LGs) by his Institute, showing that while plans existed, many LGs lacked resources including people and skills to effectively put the plan into action. “Our pilots demonstrate the potential to standardize data-driven public-private collaboration models in identifying and assisting the most vulnerable in emergency response” said Mr. Sasakura, noting that latest technological innovations are making “phase-free society” a reachable reality, where DRR is embedded in everyday infrastructure and activities such as growing food and providing healthcare.

Ms. Mika Nabeshima, Managing Executive Officer & Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc., an ARISE member company, explained that by strengthening intra-group collaboration between insurance providers and consulting/engineering firms, the group is working to build disaster-resilient societies. “Beyond traditional financial compensation through insurance, we provide comprehensive disaster risk reduction and mitigation solutions that cover every step of the risk management cycle. This includes risk assessment and pre-disaster measures, as well as post-disaster response such as early recovery and Build Back Better” noted Ms. Nabeshima.

Prof. Daisuke Komori, Specially Appointed Professor, 2030 Global DRR Agenda Office, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, discussed capacity building and advanced degree education in disaster risk science, bringing together future public and private sector leaders and aiming to train and connect global leaders across sectors to optimize DRR investments and build a resilient world. 

The first session was facilitated by Mr. Kimio Takeya, Distinguished Technical Advisor on DRR from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, whose commentary and questions, along with Mr. Kishore’s, brought depth and detail to the speaker presentations. “We heard a wealth of examples demonstrating how government, academia, and the private sector, in response to the imminent risk of climate change, are exploring how to invest to enable Build Back Better, recognizing their respective responsibilities and achieving governance through mutual respect—far more than could be digested in such a short time.” said Mr. Takeya. 

The following second session was facilitated by Ms. Yuki Matsuoka of UNDRR and welcomed Mr. Kamal Kishore and Mr. Shigeki Honda, Adviser, Minerva Veritas Co., Ltd., an ARISE Japan member company, as commentators. Mr. Akira Doi, ARISE Japan secretariat, explained how the 2027 case studies publication to be developed by ARISE Japan, to which this session served as a preview, would showcase private sector action in reducing risk within their own company, improving resilience in communities and value chains, collaborative models, and encouraging innovation.  

Mr. Koji Obana, Assistant Manager, Corporate Management and Governance Department Crisis Management Group, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., described how their company creates a corporate culture that encourages employees to respond proactively during crises. “Our DRR philosophy deliberately ranks saving lives and serving communities above business continuity, ensuring employees can act with the correct priorities and mindset”, explained Mr. Obana. 

Mr. Hirokazu Ishizuka, Corporate Officer, Kozo Keikaku Engineering Inc., an ARISE member company, showcased the scientific and engineering-based simulation tools to help public and private decision-makers visualize, understand and correctly invest in reducing risk. “This technology can help assess whether a building is safe to enter after an earthquake, which currently requires in-person inspection, and reduce bottlenecks in the recovery period” said Dr. Ishizuka, noting the advantages of incorporating science and innovation into DRR.  

Mr. Takashi Kamikura, DRR Promotion Manager, DRR Department, Crisis Management Bureau, Sendai City, and Ms. Asami Agatsuma, Unit Leader, Market Strategy Team, Sendai Branch, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., an ARISE member company, jointly presented a public-private-partnership project called Xcross Innovation Bosai. “We create ‘egosystems’, where the egotistical drive of each company is harnessed within the consortium and driven to solve societal contributions as a whole” noted Ms. Agatsuma. Mr. Yoshinori Takada, Senior Professional, NEC Corporation discussed the public-private partnership for data infrastructure called BDX, which successfully coordinated volunteers from 50 different companies in disaster response in the aftermath of the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. “We are working towards an ecosystem where digital expert teams are sent into disaster response during the government’s disaster response process, much like medical teams are” explained Mr. Takeda.

Mr. Takashi Nameki, Representative Director and CEO, KABTO Co., Ltd., and ARISE member company, discussed the establishment of the JSA-S1003, the first of its kind for insurance agency services in Japan. “The ultimate aim of this voluntary standard is to improve risk literacy among insurance clients, in short the wider society” explained Mr. Nameki. 

Mr. Marco Toscano-Rivalta, Chief of the UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and Mr. Satoshi Hijikata, ARISE Board member (Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd) gave closing remarks. “What I heard today is a fundamental quantum leap in terms of private, public and academia partnership” said Mr. Toscano-Rivalta, noting that the symposium demonstrated incredible wealth of knowledge, skills, capacities, networks by private, public and academia partnership that we can bring together at the next Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction.