Disaster Management & Resilience Study Visit In-Person Open

Sendai Framework: Field Study of Post-2011 Reconstruction

Walk the coastline where 20,000 perished in 2011 and study how Japan turned that tragedy into the Sendai Framework — now the DRR standard for 187 nations.

Sendai, Japan

5 days 35 hrs Sendai, Japan ar / 20 seats

Overview

On 11 March 2011 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami killed 19,747 people and caused $360 billion in damage. Japan's response produced the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted at the UN World Conference in Sendai and now the global standard for DRR policy in 187 countries. This programme takes participants to Tohoku — rebuilt coastal towns, memorial museums, seawalls, and communities that relocated to higher ground — combined with expert sessions on post-disaster governance, financing, and Build Back Better principles.

Program Objectives

Understand the four priorities and seven global targets of the Sendai Framework.
Analyse Japan's Tohoku reconstruction as a case in post-disaster governance, financing, and community-led recovery.
Conduct a Sendai Framework compliance gap analysis for their country.
Design a DRR strategy aligned with the Framework for a national or municipal context.

Requirements

Government officials, DRR policy makers, urban planners, international development professionals, and emergency management specialists at city, national, or international level.

Why This Program?

20,000 Lives Lost. One Framework Born. The World Adopted It. Come Learn It at the Source.

Five days in Tohoku and Sendai — walking the rebuilt coastline, studying the framework it produced, and designing your country's DRR strategy.

Why this program
The Sendai Framework governs DRR policy in 187 countries. Understanding where it came from — the human decisions, political courage, and community choices that shaped it — makes you a far more effective practitioner than someone who only read the document.

Why Japan
Tohoku is the only place where you can walk the coastline where the 2011 tsunami struck, see rebuilt infrastructure, speak with survivors and reconstruction officials, and stand where the Sendai Framework was born.

Experience Summary
Five days in Sendai and Tohoku: Framework deep dive, rebuilt coastal community visits, memorial museums, policy dialogue with reconstruction officials, Day 5 national gap analysis presentation.

Program Value

At-Source Learning

Learn the Sendai Framework in the city where it was created — with the officials, survivors, and communities that shaped it.

Build Back Better

Tohoku proves post-disaster recovery can produce infrastructure and governance stronger than before.

Policy-Ready Output

Leave with a completed gap analysis and draft DRR policy recommendation ready to present to your ministry.

Universal Standard

The Sendai Framework governs DRR policy in 187 countries. Mastering it makes you fluent in the global language of disaster risk governance.

Learning Journey

Before Program

National DRR Baseline

Participants document their country's DRR legal framework, identify addressed and missing Sendai priorities, and bring this analysis to Day 5.

During Program

Tohoku Field Immersion

Five days in Sendai and Tohoku: Framework deep dive, field visits, memorials, policy dialogue, and Day 5 gap analysis presentation.

After Program

Ministry Presentation & Policy Brief

Participants present their gap analysis to their ministry within 60 days and submit a draft DRR policy recommendation. Debrief call at Day 90.

Nomination Eligibility

This programme is designed for professionals nominated by their organisations to undergo specialised training in Japan. Nominees should have organisational sponsorship and a clear mandate to apply the learnings upon return.

Why Train in Japan

Japan is the birthplace of the methodologies taught in this programme. Training in Japan provides direct exposure to the original practices, site visits to world-class facilities, and interaction with Japanese experts who pioneered these approaches — an experience impossible to replicate in a local classroom.

Why Train Overseas

Overseas training in Japan offers immersive access to the source of these management and operational philosophies. Participants gain cultural context, real-world observation, and networking opportunities with Japanese organisations that cannot be delivered through domestic or online alternatives.

Field Visits Note

Field visits are subject to host organisation availability and may be substituted with alternative sites of equivalent educational value without prior notice.

Certificate Statement

NIHON GATE Certificate is awarded upon successful completion of all programme days, participation in all activities, and delivery of the final project or presentation as required.

How to Use This File for Nomination

1 Download this Program File for Corporate Approval.

2 Review the programme details, objectives, and outcomes with your supervisor.

3 Submit the file to your HR or training department for nomination approval.

4 Upon approval, complete your registration through the NIHON GATE portal.

5 Receive confirmation and pre-programme materials within 48 hours.

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