Japan called Thursday for "mainstreaming" disaster prevention in the Asia-Pacific development agenda in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan and set off a continuing nuclear crisis.
"I think that the lesson we have learned from the recent disaster is that in disaster prevention, it is important not only to develop the necessary physical infrastructure but also to mainstream the importance of disaster prevention in the mindset of both policymakers and citizens," Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said in an address to an annual meeting in Hanoi of the Asian Development Bank.
"It is essential to learn about successes and failures experienced in the past disasters and share what is learned by policymakers and citizens through education and public relations activities," Noda said.