Tonga Broadcasting Commission’s infrastructure has been upgraded and a new studio building constructed under a Japanese-funded project to complete Tonga’s National Early Warning System.

The new building was commissioned by Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala in the capital, Nuku‘alofa, on 1 October, the news website Matangi Tonga reported. The ceremony marked the completion of the new system.

The project, known as NEWS, will strengthen the country’s capacity for risk management and its resilience against disasters through the improvement of three systems: an Emergency Radio Communication System, an Early Warning Sound Alert System and a Medium Wave Radio Broadcasting System.

A 14-member team from Japan visited Tonga in June for talks on the project.

The team met the head of the Tonga government’s implementation agency and representatives of TBC to discuss its completion.

The Japanese government provided a grant for the project worth the equivalent of US$24 million.