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The development emerged from a longer-standing
relationship between the work of academics from Northumbria and Kyoto
universities working in this field. On the 19th and 20th January, 2006,
one year after the World Conference on Disaster Reduction at Kobe, a
Japanese and UK group came together for the first seminar at Northumbria
University to address disaster risk reduction and education challenges
faced by the two countries. The 2006 event was funded by the Japan
Foundation and warmly welcomed by emergency service practitioners and
the City of Newcastle. Along with growing academic interest in this
subject area, this led to a proposal that such an event be repeated the
following year at Kyoto University. It was during the second seminar
that the Disaster and Development Centre (DDC) and the Disaster
Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) progressed the establishing of a
Japan - UK Disaster Risk Reduction Study Centre within their two
institutions. The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the Daiwa
Anglo-Japanese Foundation, and British Embassy Tokyo Global
Opportunities Fund provided funding for the seminar event in Kyoto.
Beyond the two Universities involvement in the event was carried out in
association with Newcastle City Council, the City of Kyoto, Tyne and
Wear Fire and Rescue Service, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service,
Kyoto City Fire Department and the Tyne and Wear Emergency Planning
Unit.
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