The FY 2005 Foundation for C&C Promotion Symposium was entitled ‘Information Accessibility in Times of Disaster’. It was held at Izumi Garden Conference Center in Roppongi Itchome, Tokyo. The discussion at this year’s event centered around ways of providing and gathering information in times of disaster for those who are particularly vulnerable. Demographics such as seniors, the handicapped and foreigners need special consideration when providing and gathering information at times of earthquakes, typhoons and floods—disasters common in recent years.
The symposium opened with greetings from Junji Namiki, Executive Director of the Foundation for C&C Promotion, followed by reports on overseas disasters. IISE Research Analyst Kazuko Yuma spoke of her experience in Thailand, where she was one of the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck the area in December 2004. The US response to Hurricane Katrina was reported on by two first-hand witnesses to it, Chika Sekine, President of the Universal Design Institute for Information Technology (UDIT), and UDIT Chief Researcher Naoki Sakakibara.
After these reports was a panel discussion on information accessibility in times of disaster. First, the work being done by the Japanese government was discussed by Takashi Kobayashi, Lecturer at Tokai University’s School of Politics and Economics. Kobayashi brought up the difficulty of top-down hierarchical methods of conveying information. Akira Ichikawa (Information Management Division, Department of Policy and Planning, Niigata Prefecture), and Hiroshi Takahashi, author of A Practical Guide to Disaster Prevention (City of Nerima, Crisis Management Office, Disaster Prevention Section) gave a presentation on the difficulties created when different levels of local government implement different forms of disaster response. Kenichi Ichikawa, Chief Executive Officer of disaster information provider Rescuenow.net, gave a presentation on the problem of compiling disaster information originating from vertically-compartmentalized government bureaucracies. The presentation led to a panel discussion afterward.
The final segment of the symposium was a talk by Niigata Governor Hirohiko Izumida, entitled ‘Learning from Experience: One Year After the Niigata Earthquake’. Izumida played a key role in restoration efforts after the major earthquake that struck the area in October 2004. The symposium provided much food for thought on the accessibility of information during times of disaster.

Speakers
Hirohiko Izumida, Governor of Niigata
Chika SEKINE, President and Founder, Universal Design Institute for Information Technology
Naoki SAKAKIBARA, Chief Researcher, Universal Design Institute for Information Technology
Kazuko YUMA, Research Analyst , Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies

Panelist
Takashi KOBAYASHI, Assistant professor, Tokai Univ.
Akira ICHIKAWA, Niigata Prefecture
Keiichi ICHIKAWA, President, Rescuenow Inc.
Hiroshi TAKAHASHI, Nerima City

Moderator
Hajime YAMADA, Professor, Toyo University