Minister without Portfolio, who is also the CEO of Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Council, Chern Jenn-Chuan was invited to attend the One Year after 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake International Symposium on Engineering Lessons Learned from the Giant Earthquake in Japan on the 5th of March, and to share Taiwan’s experience of reconstruction after Typhoon Morakot. The Symposium, hosted by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE) at the University of Tokyo, was an important event on the first anniversary of the East Japan earthquake. After a minute of silent prayer for the victims of the great earthquake, the Symposium started with the opening addresses presented by JSCE President Yamamoto Takuro and the Vice Minister of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, Sato Naoyoshi. Before the Symposium, CEO Chern Jenn-Chuan met with the Vice Minister Sato Naoyoshi and offered his heartfelt sympathies and best whishes for Japan. Vice-Minister Sato Naoyoshi responded with his gratitude for Taiwanese people’s heart-warming concern and generous aid for post disaster relief. There were ,more than 1,000 participants.

The former NHK executive commentator Koide Goro was invited as the featured speaker presenting “Civil Engineering Beyond the Turning Point” to the meeting. According to Koide Goro, Japan has undergone three major turning points; the Meiji Restoration, the Surrender of Japan in the World War II, and the 311 Great Earthquake. Koide Goro added that the third turning point for Japan requires a clearer perspective on reconstruction, and puts more value on sustainability. In addition, he suggested issues to be attended to, which includes utilizations of zero energy building, disaster reduction community, nuclear fallout shelter, natural levees against tsunami formed by broad-leaved evergreen plants, innovative de-pollution storage system, and environmental rehabilitation. Koide Goro expected that efforts made on reconstruction and transformation by the civil engineers will bring an acknowledged better Japan. Other topics to be discussed in multiple sessions included “What Lessons Have We Learned from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake?”, “Questioning the Basic Stance of Facing Massive Natural Disasters”, and “Planning Effective Actions Toward Strengthening the Disaster Response Capability of the Society”. By discussing these topics and sharing respective experiences of disaster prevention, rescue, and reconstruction, expert and scholars from various countries provided recommendations for Japan’s post-disaster reconstruction.

CEO Chern Jenn-Chuan presented “Morakot Post-Disaster Rehabilitation Program in Taiwan” at the Symposium to share Taiwan’s experience of post-disaster reconstruction. He pointed out that after Typhoon Morakot wrought catastrophic damage on Taiwan’s environment on August 8th 2009, the government carried out reconstruction work according to a multi-stage recovery planning, and under the principle of national land preservation, and of disaster prevention and avoidance. The reconstruction efforts were made flexibly in response to the complexity of the uncontrollable natural environment and the post-disaster social reactions. After more than 2 years of reconstruction work, not only have the social contentions that arose in the early days now eased, replaced by peace and satisfaction, but many of the reconstruction efforts have come to fruition. For example, 3,045 units of permanent housing built across 30 different sites benefit more than 10 thousand people before 2012’s Chinese Lunar New Year. CEO Chern’s presentation was received with great enthusiasm. In particular, Japanese scholars remarked that Taiwan’s Morakot post-disaster reconstruction is admirable and may be taken as a model for Japan’s post-disaster reconstruction.

CEO Chern Jenn-Chuan shared Taiwan’s experience of Morakot post-disaster reconstruction

CEO Chern Jenn-Chuan wore traditional Taiwanese clothing to attend the Symposium in Japan

800 people attended the One Year after 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake International Symposium