National Fire Agency, Ministry of the Interior > Latest News > Press Releases > Heads of the Tokyo Disaster Prevention Department and the Tokyo Fire Department Chief visited Taiwan to deepen Taiwan

On 2024/05/21, "Summit Seminar on Tokyo Fire Department’s Disaster Prevention Practices" was held by the National Fire Agency (NFA), where Director-General HSIAO Huan-Chang of the NFA gave special thanks to the distinguished guests from Japan to Taiwan for exchange, namely two heads, named Mr. Tomoo Harada (Crisis Management Supervisor, Disaster Prevention Department of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of General Affairs) and Mr. Yoshida Yoshimi (the Tokyo Fire Department Chief), and five disaster prevention experts. During the seminar, Japanese delegates shared their experience and case studies in the emergency assistance for the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan, including material reserves for large-scale earthquake preparedness, digital applications in the field of disaster prevention, the reform of fire and disaster relief safety organizations, air accident rescue at Haneda Airport, followed by the bi-lateral discussions on the most important fire protection issues at present, such as international exchanges between the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau and Taiwan's fire agencies.

As per Director-General HSIAO of the NFA, it was a great honor to have both the Crisis Management Supervisor (of Disaster Prevention Department of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of General Affairs) and the Tokyo Fire Department Chief present here together in Taiwan this time, which was rare yet with historic meaning. The Tokyo Fire Department and the Tokyo Disaster Prevention Department boast their experience and practices such as disaster assessment and life rescue, which are worthy of learning from and referring to by Taiwan. For a long time, many Japanese fire experts have been delegated to visit Taiwan for numerous times to share their experience, whereas many Taiwanese study groups from Taiwan’s fire agencies at all levels have also visited Japan to accept trainings. Over the years, the bi-lateral exchange and cooperation has grown into an extensive range, covering issues such as fire rescue, emergency medical care, fire prevention, disaster prevention and response, and occupational safety for fire service personnel, etc., which has facilitated the implementation of many Japanese experiences into Taiwan’s fire agencies. Japan is Taiwan's closest partner in Asia, which is also geographically located at the junction of plates, with frequent earthquakes. The Noto earthquake occurring in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan at the beginning of 2024 was similar to the Hualien earthquake occurring in Taiwan on 2024/04/03, where both were reverse fault earthquakes, with strong earthquake scenes still vivid in our minds. The earthquake in Noto Peninsula, with a magnitude of 7.6, marks the strongest earthquake ever in the records of Noto Peninsula, which even triggered a tsunami and the disaster therewith. At that time, houses collapsed in Ishikawa Prefecture, the hardest-hit area, causing many deaths. We have learnt how Japan, during this disaster period, mobilized all available resources and information, utilized various new smart technologies and response mechanisms, and reduced possible impacts on various industries, so as to expedite the capacity in recovery and reconstruction.

Finally, Director-General HSIAO of NFA expressed his appreciation to the Japanese experts for their sharing in this seminar, which not only provided experience and methods for handling various situations more promptly and efficiently during major disasters, but also provided relatively significant meanings in areas such as overall review of national security and early-warning-based disaster rescue; thinking on Taiwan's disaster prevention, early disaster warning, disaster relief mobilization measures, material reserves, and digital applications in disaster prevention; and enhancing bi-lateral relations between Taiwan and Japan. Again, it was the great honor of the National Fire Agency (NFA) to have successfully invited the two heads (both the Crisis Management Supervisor (of Disaster Prevention Department of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of General Affairs) and the Tokyo Fire Department Chief) along with disaster prevention experts to visit Taiwan to share their disaster response disaster prevention and protection experience in coordination, organization, division of labor, and command of the emergency incidents, which is worthy of learning and reference by Taiwanese participants at the seminar. Under the environmental risks of extreme climate and large-scale compound disasters, we should continue to deepen cooperation with Japan to enhance Taiwan’s overall capacity in disaster prevention.

Heads of the Tokyo Disaster Prevention Department and the Tokyo Fire Department Chief visited Taiwan to deepen Taiwan – Japan disaster prevention experience