Takako Izumi

Expert in international disaster mitigation strategy. Associate Professor at Tohoku University's International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS).

My major responsibilities at IRIDeS include strengthening international collaboration with universities mainly through the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and international organizations, organizing international workshops and conferences as well as promoting joint researches. APRU and IRIDeS launched the APRU-IRIDeS Multi-Hazards (MH) Program in April 2013 and has been serving as its secretariat. Under the Program, as Program Coordinator, I am in charge of activity planning and implementation such as the campus safety project and the Multi-Hazards summer school that aims to share the experience and lessons-learnt from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011.

In my own research and study, my main focus areas are the mechanisms of international disaster risk reduction (DRR), disaster response and recovery as well as the roles of various stakeholders in DRR such as civil society organizations (CSOs), the private sector, local governments, and academia. So far national government and international organizations were considered as key stakeholders to play a major role in DRR capacity development. However, it is also obvious that without the collaboration with and participation of other stakeholders, DRR will not be further explored and strengthened. Furthermore, each country has to develop their own and customized DRR strategy along with their country context. It is crucial to develop detailed plans and policies based on clear risk and problem identifications.

For nearly 15 years before taking up the current position in Tohoku University, I had been involved in development, disaster response, recovery as well as DRR working for an international NGO and UN agencies. Based on my experience and study so far, I would like to contribute to strengthening “collaboration” and “partnership” as well as enhancing DRR capacity in particular in Asia.

Selected links:
Disaster preparedness would improve HE pandemic response - APRU

She is featured in Focus On: Disasters, an Asia Research News resource for journalists to find stories and sources.