[S23-1] Geoscience and society I

[S23-1-01] Education and Outreach to Foreign Residents Living in Japan- the Importance and Roles of Multicultural Society Coordinators in Creating Systems for Disaster Risk Management Education for Foreign Residents

^○Akiyoshi Kikuchi^{1, 2, 3} (1.Keiko University, Kanagawa, Japan, 2.Sendai Tourism, Convention and International Association, 3.The Institute of Multicultural Society Professionals)

With the increase in the number of foreign residents, Japanese local governments are faced with the task of implementing policies to support them. Establishing disaster risk management policies for foreign residents is one of the most significant points in local government agenda because Japan must confront threats of occurring natural disasters like earthquakes. As a Multicultural Coordinator I have focused on developing disaster risk management education for foreign residents since 2006. Foreign residents are usually not familiar with basic knowledge for disaster risk management or have fewer opportunities to learn disaster risk management because of their limited Japanese proficiency. Therefore it is highly effective and efficient to hold multi-lingual disaster risk management sessions directed solely at foreign residents. On the other hand, it is also necessary to hold disaster risk management sessions where Japanese and foreign residents can communicate with each other in various ways. The first reason to hold these sessions is because the ability to provide multi-lingual information in the aftermath of a disaster will be inevitably limited. And second reason to hold these sessions is because these sessions will boost visibility of foreign residents in the host society which will lead mutual support during a disaster. In the other words, these two kinds of sessions are mutually complementary. The role of the Multicultural Society Coordinator is to create the system in which the foreign residents can learn self-help and mutual assistance in their local societies in Japan.