Japan's experience of reconstruction in support of Nepal

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake when northeast part of Japan was hit by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami with heights of up to 40 metres that caused an enormous effect. The Disaster on March 11, 2011, saw more than 22,000 casualties, nearly 20,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Unit 1, 2 and 3) damaged seriously.

Likewise, on April 25, 2015, Nepal experienced severe earthquake with 7.8 Mw magnitude with its epicentre in Gorkha District. Subsequent aftershocks caused extensive damage, including nearly 9,000 casualties and more than 700,000 collapsed houses.

Immediately after the earthquake, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been supporting the recovery from the earthquake. JICA’s support was extended to the reconstruction of schools, houses, roads, hospitals, and other public infrastructure, as well as providing technical assistance for the reconstruction of cultural heritage sites. Beyond the emergency period, JICA has also been supporting communities to enhance disaster-resilience, with the participation of the community itself, according to a press release issued by the JICA.

JICA has provided several opportunities to share Japanese knowledge and experiences, through seminars and other events. In April 2019, JICA and NRA invited the guest speaker from Higashi-Matsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture, tsunami-stricken area in Japan. On the occasion, he shared his experience of recovery and emphasised the importance on consensus among communities in the reconstruction process, and the participatory decision-making process that resulted in the comprehensive development plan of the city.

Throughout the active support for recovery and reconstruction, JICA has always emphasised, "Build Back Better (BBB)”. BBB is the concept to build a society that is more resilient than before the disaster. JICA is also promoting investment for disaster risk reduction based on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction in March 2015 and the Sendai Cooperation Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction announced by the Japanese government.