Governance of the Education Sector and Disaster Risk Reduction

Abstract

Japanese disaster risk governance is integral to the education sector. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is 1 of 24 ministries and agencies that compose the Central Disaster Management Council. The MEXT promotes disaster risk governance in the education sector through policy guidance and financial support. Compared to international arguments on strengthening disaster risk governance related to adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, the Japanese disaster risk governance in the education sector provides outputs and normative aspects of governance, such as policies, laws and regulations, financing, and institutional structure that are more advanced. In addition, Japanese disaster risk governance has evolved based on lessons learnt from past disaster experiences such as the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. These context-specific revisions of the governance contribute to the reduction of risk for future disasters. A major issue found from the analyses is the lack of a school-community partnership for disaster risk reduction. While Japanese disaster risk governance in the education sector has strong leadership via the central government, a partnership with other actors at the school level is relatively weak. This is not only an issue for disaster risk governance but overall Japanese education governance. In the current educational reform, the MEXT promotes establishment of a collaborative platform between schools and communities. This could lead to enhancement of a collaborative relationship for disaster risk reduction. Under the newly adopted SFDRR, Japan and the international community could learn from each other to strengthen disaster risk governance in the education sector through international cooperation.