Crown Prince Naruhito and a top national politician delivered keynote speeches on Thursday at a U.N. session on water and disasters, with both pledging Japan will share its knowledge to help communities around the world that are prone to water-related catastrophes.
"Almost 90 percent of the victims of natural disasters in the world are created by water-related disasters, such as floods and droughts," said Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. "The resilience against water-related disasters is an urgent issue for human beings."
Having come to the United States after a visit to disaster victims in Fukuoka Prefecture, an area hit hard by recent floods, Nikai spoke of how unseasonable rainfall on Kyushu has left approximately 50 people dead or missing.