1. Public Symposium

Day and time:	24 January 2020, 1300 – 1700 / 1800 – 2000
Venue:	Hyogo Prefecture Official Conference Hall, Kobe
Language:	Japanese / English, simultaneous interpretation
Participation:	Open (capacity: 300 persons)

Bearing in mind the overarching theme, the activities of preserving and passing on the live lessons from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake up to now are reviewed; situations of different countries are compared; and determination to continue telling live lessons is refreshed with a view to the next 25 years.

Opening: 1300 – 1315	Opening address by Mr. Ikuo KOBAYASHI, Chairman of the Implementing Committee of 2020 International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disaster, to be followed by addresses by Mr. Toshizo IDO, Honorable Governor, Hyogo Prefecture (TBC).
Key note talk and discussion: 1315 – 1415	Mr. Masami HORIUCHI (actor, resident in Kobe, 25 year supporter of telling live lessons) reflects upon his own activities, speaks of the importance of telling live lessons and raises points to discuss to address the challenges in continuing such activities. He is then joined by Ms. Keiko TAKESHITA (actress, annually performing public reading of essays of disaster victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake) who refers to her own activities, after which they will deepen their discussion.
Telling live lessons through music and painting: 1425 – 1515	Memories of disasters are often told through various art works. The art can very profoundly exercise strong power in outreaching what needs to be passed on to the hearts of receivers. The audience members are invited to deliberate on the impact of art works such as music and painting in telling live lessons. “Bloom Works”, a vocal duo of Mr. Hiroyuki ISHIDA and Mr. KAZZ, will also perform. Mr. ISHIDA, a singer-songwriter from Kobe, is engaged in awareness-raising on disaster risk reduction as an expert. He gives a number of lectures on disaster risk reduction coupled with music in schools and communities. Furthermore, the works of Mr. Hiroshige KAGAWA, a painter who expresses and passes on the memories of Great East Japan Earthquake, 2011 are exhibited; and Mr. KAGAWA and Mr. Makoto SHIMADA (who established Kobe Cultural Reconstruction Fund bearing in mind that the art is needed particularly at the time of critical times) talk with each other.
Panel discussion: 1530 – 1700	The panel, chaired by Prof. Yoshiaki KAWATA, Executive Director of Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI), receives reports on various cases of telling live lessons in the world, and discusses ways of continuing the passing-on of disaster experiences across areas and generations.

Panelist	Name	Affiliation
Chair	Yoshiaki Kawata	Executive Director, Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI)
Panelist	Muhammad Saidur Rahman	Director, Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre (BDPC))
Panelist	Hafnidar	Director, Aceh Tsunami Museum
Panelist	Nao Sakaguchi	Tohoku University Graduate School Faculty of Arts and Letters
Panelist	Ibrahim Komoo	Vice President, Global Geoparks Network
Panelist	Yasuko Nishino	Director, JICA Kansai Center, Japan International Cooperation Agency

After the panel discussion, all the audience will be requested to leave the hall. Below program “Public reading and music” is separate even organized by a different entity. Should you wish to re-enter for the public reading and event, another ticket is necessary. Please visit another website for further information.

Public reading and music: 1800 – 2000	Ms. Keiko TAKESHITA performs public reading of some particularly impressive works of the poems and essays that the survivors of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake have written, along with music.

Application for public symposium