Alumni Homecoming – Learning about the Tohoku Earthquake Reconstruction and Disaster Prevention and Celebrating GRIPS 20th Anniversary

In cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 30 GRIPS graduates from various countries of South and Southeast Asia were invited to participate in a week-long program in Japan which was held from August 20 -27, 2017. In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of GRIPS, the purpose of the program was to learn about the earthquake recovery and disaster prevention in the coastal area of Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku region that was hard hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

The training was targeted at GRIPS graduates who are currently active in government agencies, among others, in the area of environmental problems and disaster prevention in their home countries. Through the program the aim was to deepen the participants’ understanding of Japan’s efforts to tackle environmental issues and disaster prevention and to strengthen the bonds between Japan and the participants’ countries.

On the first day of the program, a homecoming event and reception was held at GRIPS giving the graduates an opportunity to meet with GRIPS professors, staff and students. The alumni were briefed on current and upcoming developments in GRIPS after which each participant gave a brief self-introduction through which they shared their (professional) achievements and goals in life, their experience at GRIPS and how that has helped them in their future career, and their engagement with Japan/GRIPS since their graduation. This was followed by a brainstorming discussion on how to further strengthen, utilise and institutionalise the GRIPS alumni chapters in various countries.

The reception started with President Tanaka’s welcome greetings. Some of the alumni had returned to GRIPS for the first time in more than 10 years and were particularly happy to find some of their former professors still there. It was a great opportunity for our alumni and faculty to revive relationships and to spark new connections.

During the training program from the next day, the group first visited Tono City in Iwate prefecture, and later in the day Miyamoricho in Kamimiyamori district. Armed with a weeding hoe each, they climbed the mountain and carefully planted memorial trees on the mountain slope and prayed for the reconstruction of the disaster area and the prevention of future disasters.

The following day, they visited Ofunato City where they learned about ” Kesen-wide Area Environmental Future City Project”, and the mega Goyozan Solar Power Project. In the afternoon they moved to Rikuzentakata City where they received a guided tour by a local resident who talked about his experience of the day when the earthquake and tsunami hit and the subsequent reconstruction efforts. He showed the group the “michi-no-eki memorial service monument, “ippon-matsu”, the one remaining pine tree and the Suwa Shrine, located on a 15 meter high hill where many residents fled to escape the waves and spent the night together.

After returning to GRIPS, they participated in two courses on energy policies and disaster prevention, and visited Komatsu IoT Center, Weathernews Inc., and JETRO · Institute of Developing Economics and others to learn about their work and the latest innovations. Participants completed this training with the hope to make use of this experience for the disaster prevention in their home countries, while they also promised to stay in touch with their former professors and re-connect and strengthen ties with other alumni.