Shillong, Feb 14: A total of 22 Student’s were among the 50 delegates from the North East India who represented India in the 3rd IRIS Program in Japan from 1st – 8th February 2020.
The IRIS Program is a Youth Initiative Program undertaken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Japan, where youths are invited to Japan with an aim of educating participants on issues concerning the environment and disaster management awareness, technological advancement and to promote further understanding of Japan through seminars, observational tours and related facilities etc.
During their stay in Japan the participants visited different places in Tokyo, Nagasaki and Unzen. At The Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, a central base of operations for disaster preventions in the Tokyo Metropolitan areas, students experienced the simulation of earthquake and the preventive measures.
Other places visited by the participants in Tokyo includes; Tokyo Hydrogen Museum, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Tokyo Water Reclamation Centre, Tokyo Landfill Site, and an interaction with the International Volunteer University Students Association (IVUSA).
At Nagasaki participants were given the opportunity to interact and hear the stories from an Atomic Bomb survivor Mr. Yoshiro Yamawaki, observed the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and visited the Hypocentre of the A-Bomb. Delegates also planted trees at Farmland of Kojiro Green Promotion at Unzen City, observed the short video of the 1991 Pyroclastic Flow eruption of Unzen Volcano, and visited Mt. Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall.
On their last day the delegates made a courtesy visit to the Embassy of India at Tokyo where Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) delivered a short welcome speech followed by the Q&A session with the DCM and other dignitaries of the embassy.
The study tour ended with a detailed workshop about the entire program at TKP Shimbashi Conference Centre Hall where delegates were asked to write their entire experience of the trip. Delegates were also encouraged to take back the good experience learned throughout the trip and implement them in their own Community, Colleges, Universities and Society at large.
