Fiji partners with Japan to enhance Tsunami warning systems

The Fijian Government is collaborating with Japan's National Space Policy Secretariat to improve tsunami warning systems and enhance national safety against geological hazards.

Minister for Disaster Management, Sakiasi Ditoka, shared this update in response to a parliamentary question from Assistant Minister for Education, Iliesa Vanawalu regarding the partnership between Fiji's National Disaster Management Office and Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System for early warning systems.

Ditoka says the NSPS, NDMO and the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development MRD have agreed to cooperate on emergency warning systems using advanced technology from Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System.

This partnership, through close consultation and collaboration aims to significantly improve Fiji's ability to respond to emergencies and protect its communities.

He says the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, along with the NDMO and the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, particularly through their seismology unit, are the key government agencies responsible for managing disaster risk reduction and disaster management activities related to tsunamis.

Ditoka also highlighted that after extensive discussions and site visits in 2019, Fiji and Japan agreed to formulate a memorandum of cooperation to explore the use of QZSS in Fiji's early warning systems.

In response to a supplementary question from Leader of Opposition of Block 16, Inia Seruiratu about the progress of the siren system, Ditoka confirmed that discussions are ongoing regarding the extension of the warning systems.