Tokyo, July 5 (SANA) Syrian delegation comprising representatives from the Ministries of Public Works and Housing, Local Administration and Environment, and Foreign Affairs, along with representatives from the governorates of Damascus, Homs and Aleppo, has visited Japan‘s Kobe city to study its reconstruction and disaster management experience, a SANA correspondent reported Sunday.
The delegation accompanied by Syria‘s charge d’affaires in Tokyo, Abdul Wahab Mohammad Agha began its visit program by heading to the Kobe Municipal Assembly, where it held a meeting with the assembly’s vice president. During the meeting, Japan’s experience in rebuilding the city—following both the destruction of World War II and the devastating 1995 earthquake—was reviewed, the correspondent said.
The meeting also highlighted the policies, planning mechanisms and regulations adopted by Japanese authorities in managing the reconstruction phase and achieving sustainable recovery.
The delegation also visited the Disaster Reduction and Earthquake Mitigation Center in Kobe, where it viewed a documentary depicting the moments of the 1995 earthquake, the scale of human and material losses it caused, and the measures taken by the Japanese government to manage the disaster and minimize its impact, the correspondent added.
The Great Hanshin Earthquake, which struck Kobe on January 17, 1995, measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and killed over 6,000 people, destroyed more than 100,000 buildings and left hundreds of thousands homeless, making it the largest disaster to affect postwar Japan. The reconstruction effort became one of the largest urban planning redevelopment projects in Japanese history, involving land readjustment projects, redevelopment buildings, and extensive infrastructure rehabilitation.
The visit is part of Syria’s broader effort to benefit from international expertise in post-disaster reconstruction, with Japan being one of the world’s leading countries in developing advanced models for recovery and rebuilding damaged cities. The delegation is also scheduled to visit Hiroshima to study that city’s reconstruction experience. The visit is coordinated with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a leading international development agency with extensive experience in disaster management and post-disaster recovery.
Kh.A / H.H
