Disaster management has been identified as among the areas for further cooperation between Malaysia and Japan, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Japan has a lot of experience in managing disasters, Wan Azizah noted, and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) could benefit from that experience.

This includes training and sharing of know-how in a number of areas, such as early warning systems, advanced planning, risk reduction, and organising large-scale exercises to improve readiness.

As an anecdote, Wan Azizah pointed to a Japanese factory in Kelantan which has produced a flood warning device that measures water levels in Sungai Kelantan, and outlined actions to be taken if certain levels are surpassed.

In particular, she highlighted disaster response readiness as an area in need of improvement, as flood victims here sometimes ignore evacuation orders.

“We have a problem with that. Sometimes when we tell our villagers to move, they’d actually wait and say ‘I can go upstairs’,” she said, adding that there are also issues pertaining to provisions and temporary shelters for disaster victims.

The deputy prime minister was speaking to reporters following a courtesy call from the Japanese ambassador to Malaysia Makio Miyagawa at her Putrajaya office this morning.

She said she had sought Japanese support and assistance in the area of disaster management during the meeting.

This, in addition, to support in managing an ageing population and learning about its social protection policies in Japan.

Wan Aziah, who is also the Women and Family Development Minister, said they also discussed the possibility of having bilateral training in the area of women leadership and development.

She said she also took the opportunity to thank the Japanese government for its support in the past whether in the form of investment, education, training or technology.

Many officers from the women’s ministry had undergone training programmes sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), she noted.