NHK to share lessons from 2011 earthquake and tsunami at ABU’s Media Summit

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK will share with colleagues across the Asia-Pacific the lessons they learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, in a special workshop before the start of the ABU-organised Media Summit on Climate Change, ICTs and Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Media Summit, taking place in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 4-6 June 2014 will bring together broadcasters, governments, climate scientists, relief agencies and NGOs from the region and around the world. It is organised by the ABU and hosted by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. 

NHK will tell in the pre-workshop on 4 June how the Japanese public broadcaster has been putting effort into improving systems, equipment and devices using lessons learned from the 11 March earthquakes and tsunami that also sparked the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

NHK managers, broadcasters and engineers will also share information about ways to train staff in order to be prepared for future disasters.

ABU Secretary-General Dr Javad Mottaghi said Japan had been one of several countries in the region had been severely affected by tsunami, earthquakes and floods over recent years. 

“The summit is part of the ABU’s continuing efforts to work with broadcasters, other media and civil agencies to increase public awareness and save lives,” he said. 

Mr Freddy H. Tulung, Director General of Information and Public Communication at Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, said: “The MCIT is proud to be hosting the Summit that will address the role of media and ICTs in creating awareness on climate change, disaster risk reduction and other environmental issues, and helping the public contribute to reducing the factors driving climate change.”

And the ABU’s Director of Technology, Dr Amal Punchihewa, hoped the summit would have very practical benefits for the region.

“We now have the technology to help broadcasters cope with disasters and we have the experience and know-how, so it’s time to put in place strategies and concrete plans so that we can help save lives,” he said.

Other partners in the summit include the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UNESCO, Radio Republik Indonesia, NHK-Japan and the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC).

More information and online registration is available here.