Govt Strengthens Proposal for Disaster Prevention Cooperation with ASEAN, in Preparation of Hosting 2027 U.N. Conference

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:29 JST, September 1, 2025

The government has revised, for the first time, its strategic document that defines priority areas for so-called offer-type cooperation, in which Japan leverages its strengths and proposes support packages to developing countries, with disaster prevention now newly added. As natural disasters occur more frequently worldwide, Japan aims to actively promote pre-disaster measures, an area where it has a strong track record. Sept. 1 marks Disaster Prevention Day, and the government is advancing initiatives both domestically and internationally.

The strategy is based on the 2023 Development Cooperation Charter, which had introduced the concept of an offer-type cooperation agenda. In light of the growing frequency of natural disasters, the revised document emphasizes reducing disaster risks and investing in pre-disaster preparedness. It also highlights Japan’s experience and lessons learned from past events, aiming to strengthen regional disaster measures and promote the concept of “Build Back Better,” which focuses on creating cities even more resilient than before.

Going forward, the government plans to accelerate dialogue with the private sector to develop proposals for disaster prevention, with particular attention to ASEAN countries, which are prone to flood and storm damage. The government intends to finalize concrete cooperation items by around 2027, when Japan will host the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction led by the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for the first time.

Japan’s disaster prevention industry has a strong advantage in cutting-edge technology, such as robotics rescue operations with and AI damage prediction. These innovations are attracting significant interest abroad. Through these support efforts, Japan aims to expand the disaster prevention-related market.