The 16th meeting of the Subcommittee on Disaster Prevention was held from March 5-7, 2018 in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The meeting was attended by 28 representatives from 15 regional governments and organizations in five countries. Four staff members from the NEAR Secretariat headed by Deputy Secretary-General Park Chang-su attended the meeting. The subcommittee meeting has been held annually since 2002, and is organized by the coordinator, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

At the subcommittee meeting, presentations on the ‘Phonics Disaster Prevention System,’ an advanced measure of the Hyogo Prefecture, were given. The participants visited the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, and the Miki Disaster Memorial Park and experienced a simulation of an earthquake. The subcommittee is deemed to be one of the most successful and effective meetings among all NEAR subcommittees. The subcommittee provides an example to other regional governments in the area for effective disaster prevention with an aim to strengthen the disaster prevention capacities of member organizations to try to minimize damage from natural disasters in Northeast Asia.