Project to create a “design for a future society where life shines brightly” through the power of the local community.

The background of this project is that they were exposed to the theme of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” and reaffirmed the importance of local disaster prevention in the construction of a society that protects life. Knowing that at present, the operational structure of disaster prevention organizations, crisis management, and disaster response capabilities are more underdeveloped than we had imagined, they launched this project in order to overcome this situation. The Expo was also an opportunity to showcase Japan’s disaster prevention technology and regional capabilities to the world.

The following year, an organization was established to integrate the existing community (town councils) and new communities (condominium residents, schools, and businesses). The organization is taking a new approach to disaster preparedness, one that is not limited to the “disaster prevention” approach of the past, but rather one that is more “disaster prevention on the offensive”. By raising awareness of disaster prevention through the cooperation of local communities, schools, and businesses, they aim to realize a “future society where life shines brightly” and contribute to the building of a sustainable society.

Project Inauguration

There are two evacuation centers in the Nakatsu area, but they were consulted by a local disaster prevention organization that “due to the aging of the population and other factors, the number of people on the management (town council) side has decreased, so they have had to consolidate the training they conduct at the actual evacuation centers into one” and by Mr. YAMANE Kazutake, the director of Osaka YMCA International School, which operates a school that is one of the evacuation centers. Mr. YAMANE Kazutake, Director of the Osaka YMCA International School, who manages one of the evacuation centers, told us, “We would like to make use of the know-how we have accumulated through disaster relief, including disaster relief around the world and evacuation center management after the Kumamoto earthquake, for the benefit of the local community. In particular, they want to focus on disaster prevention because we operate a school for foreigners and children who have never experienced a disaster.

Project Activities

This project was conceived as one approach to the Expo that can be implemented within the community, translating the theme of the Osaka/Kansai Expo, “Designing a Future Society that Shines with Life,” into something that can be realized by each and every resident. By creating a foundation for building a society that protects life, strengthening local communities and cooperation, rebuilding a flexible organizational structure that can adapt to social changes and new risks, and fostering sustainable leaders for the future, we will pursue “a town where everyone wants to live, where it is easy to live, and where people want to continue to live,” aiming to create “a future society that shines with life We aim to create a “future society where life shines brightly.

Future Prospects for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai

They position this as an important initiative to strengthen local disaster prevention capabilities and use the Expo as an opportunity to showcase Japan’s disaster prevention technology and local capabilities to the world. Even after the Expo is over, they will continue to contribute to building a sustainable society, aiming to realize a “future society where life shines brightly”.