Seminar & Forum The TCS co-hosted a special session at the 19th Symposium on Disaster Mitigation for Cultural Heritage and Historical Cities held in Kyoto, Japan
2025-07-12 ~ 2025-07-13
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The TCS co-hosted a special session at the 19th Symposium on Disaster Mitigation for Cultural Heritage and Historical Cities held in Kyoto, Japan
July 12-13, 2025
The 19th Symposium on Disaster Mitigation for Cultural Heritage and Historical Cities took place on July 12, 2025, at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. Organized annually by the Institute of Disaster Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage (R-DMUCH), this year’s symposium was co-hosted by the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS) in conjunction with the 2025–2026 Year of Cultural Exchange among China, Japan, and Korea.
As part of this collaboration, the TCS organized a Special Session for local governments from the three countries, focusing on the restoration and disaster risk reduction of damaged cultural properties and historic cities. The session provided a valuable platform for sharing knowledge, best practices, and fostering regional cooperation. Experts, government officials, and practitioners discussed the current state of disasters in their regions and explored strategies to protect cultural heritage and historic urban areas.
During the opening session, TCS Deputy Secretary-General YAN Liang (opening remarks), YOSHITOMI Shinta, Director of the Institute of Disaster Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage at Ritsumeikan University (welcome remarks), and SHIOKAWA Tatsuhiro, Director of the Cultural Resources Utilization Division, Cultural Agency of Japan (congratulatory remarks), delivered remarks emphasizing the significance of joint discussions on disaster prevention for cultural heritage amid the rising frequency of natural hazards.
Key presentations were given by Director REN Tao (Xi’an Earthquake Administration, China), Director HARADA Hitoshi (Department of Cultural Property, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan), and Dr. KIM Hyung Suk (Senior Researcher and Head of the Heritage Restoration and Maintenance Team, Foundation of Silla Cultural Heritage Research Institute, Korea), who shared their respective policy measures and initiatives. The session was moderated by OKUBO Takeyuki, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Ritsumeikan University. Following the presentations, UNDRR conducted a workshop on using the Cultural Heritage Scorecard Addendum to help local officials and stakeholders integrate culture-based, people-centered disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies into cultural heritage and development policies.
Participants also visited Oiri Co., Ltd., renowned for its expertise in restoring paper-based cultural heritage, and toured Kyoto’s Fushimi area, where they explored culturally significant sites vulnerable to water-related disasters, including the traditional areas along the Horikawa River, the Fushimi Jukkokubune boat routes, and the Kizakura Kappa Factory.
The symposium underscored the critical importance of regional cooperation and innovative strategies to protect irreplaceable cultural heritage from natural hazards. It also served to strengthen networks and mutual understanding among the participating countries and institutions, contributing to ongoing efforts to preserve the unique cultural identity of East Asia’s historic cities.
▲Opening Remarks by TCS DSG YAN Liang
▲Special Session among Local Governments from China, Japan, and Korea on the Restoration and Disaster Reduction of Damaged Cultural Properties and Historic Cities
▲UNDRR Workshop
▲Group Photo
