Hyogo declaration and the cultural map of the world.

After the Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake of 1995 and the 2004 tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean, the United Nation’s International Strategy for Disaster Reduction sponsored the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, which was hosted by Japan in 2005. Its heralded product, the Hyogo Declaration, challenged governmental and non-governmental experts worldwide to find ways to reduce the increasing toll of disasters, primarily through prevention and preparedness. The adoption of the international Early Warning Program was one of its many accomplishments. The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA-1), signed by 168 countries, called for a 10-year plan to spur building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters. Specific actions focused on disaster risk reduction (DRR), improving risk information and early warning, building a culture of safety and resilience, reducing risks in major sectors, and strengthening preparedness for response. Noteworthy for Japan was the development in 2011 of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) of Tohoku University and its Disaster Medical Science Division.