Governors from across nation met on Thursday in the city of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, to adopt the Iwate Declaration, whereby they vowed to work jointly with the central government on measures to prevent natural disasters and rebuild areas devastated by earthquakes and torrential rains.
The conference is the first held in the area hit by the 2011 massive quake and tsunami following the tragedy, and comes as the nation is in the process of recovery from a series of more recent disasters, including the 2016 quakes in central Kyushu as well as massive flooding there this month.
"It is essential to come up with drastic measures against disasters which we face very frequently in our lives now," Kyoto Gov. Keiji Yamada said on the outset of the two-day conference. He also serves as president of the National Governors' Association.