This year marks the 20th anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Sumatra, which caused unprecedented damage along the Indian Ocean coast. For Indonesia, which suffered particularly severe damage, JICA continues to provide long-term cooperation, from emergency assistance in the immediate aftermath of the disaster to rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, as well as community support. JICA is also supporting efforts to learn together with the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Aceh Tsunami Museum is located in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province. Opened in 2009 to pass on the memories and lessons learned from the tsunami disaster caused by the Sumatra Earthquake.
EDDY H/ Shutterstock.com
From quick emergency support to long-lasting reconstruction support
On December 26, 2004, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The ensuing tsunami, up to 34 meters high, struck countries along the Indian Ocean coast, leaving approximately 300,000 people dead or missing.
Japan immediately dispatched the largest-ever international emergency relief team to Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, all of which were severely affected by the tsunami. In Indonesia, where more than 160,000 people were killed or missing as a result of the tsunami, a total of approximately 1,100 people were dispatched to provide medical care, transport supplies, and search for missing persons.
Coastal residential area collapsed by earthquake and tsunami
Doctors of the International Emergency Medical Team providing medical care in the field
(All photos by Kenshiro Imamura, January 1, 2025)
JICA continued to provide assistance in both hard and soft aspects of disaster recovery and reconstruction, including the formulation of a basic plan for the recovery and reconstruction of Banda Aceh, the development of infrastructure, and support for the self-reliance of the affected communities. After the emergency assistance, JICA continued to provide both hard and soft support for disaster recovery and reconstruction in Banda Aceh, including the formulation of a basic plan for recovery and reconstruction, development of infrastructure, and assistance for the affected communities to become self-reliant.
This cooperation also led to the cooperation between Banda Aceh and the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred in 2011. There has been ongoing collaboration between Banda Aceh and the municipalities in Tohoku that were affected by the disaster, including the sharing of knowledge on disaster prevention and disaster management, the rebuilding of communities, and the implementation of initiatives to pass on the experience of the disaster to future generations.
As a bridge between Banda Aceh and Tohoku
We spoke with Professor Muzairin Affan, Director of International Affairs at Syiah Kuala University, who himself was affected by the disaster in Indonesia and has since been working with JICA on the reconstruction of Banda Aceh.
Prof. Muzairin Afan, Director of International Affairs, Shaquara University
I felt the most violent tremors I have ever felt, but I and the people of Banda Aceh had no idea that a tsunami would come afterwards.
Professor Muzairin recalls his time there. Banda Aceh had been hit by tsunamis in the past, but the records and memories had not been passed down to the next generation, and the tsunami caused by the Sumatra earthquake claimed many victims. Professor Muzairin also lost his parents, four siblings, and many relatives in the tsunami.
Despite the painful memories, after the disaster, Professor Muzairin heard that the International Emergency Relief Team from Japan was looking for people who could help map the affected areas to support the victims. This led to his involvement in the formulation of a basic rehabilitation and reconstruction plan for Banda Aceh and a project to create a network to support the self-reliance of local residents, and he has worked with JICA to help rebuild the affected areas.
Professor Muzairin said, “I saw how JICA is always there for the people in the affected areas so that they can continue to be self-reliant even after the assistance ends.
How can we respond to disasters that may occur again at any time, and how can we mitigate the damage? While working with JICA on reconstruction, Professor Muzairin decided to study disaster mitigation programs in Japan and began his doctoral research at Tohoku University in 2010 in the field of disaster management technology applications. Then, in 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. Three months prior to the disaster, Professor Muzairin was in Kamaishi and Rikuzentakata, cities that would be severely affected by the disaster, conducting research on tsunami disaster risk reduction through the use of breakwaters.
It is time for Banda Aceh to support Tohoku,” said Professor Muzairin, who sent a message of support from Banda Aceh along with donations to the disaster-stricken areas in Tohoku. In addition, together with JICA Tohoku, he supported an initiative to send teachers from Tohoku schools in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures to Banda Aceh to learn from each other’s experiences of the tsunami disaster (Teachers’ Overseas Training Program), and promoted “disaster education” to prepare for the next disaster by sharing experiences between the victims in Banda Aceh and Tohoku. The efforts continue to this day. These efforts continue to this day.
Disaster risk management programs need to be approached from all sectors, and to build a variety of networks. In order to be sustainable, it is essential to involve the younger generation. Professor Muzairin continues to emphasize to the next generation of young people the importance of being aware of disaster risk and preparedness at all times.
Discussion on Tohoku reconstruction held by Higashimatsushima City and JICA with Deputy Mayor Irisa of Banda Aceh on August 9, 2012
The Importance of Passing on Lessons to the Younger Generation
Exchanges and partnerships between Banda Aceh and Tohoku have continued in various forms, beginning with a visit to the disaster area by the former head of the Aceh Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency in May immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and continuing with Higashimatsushima City in Miyagi Prefecture accepting Banda Aceh city officials for training. Twenty years have passed since the Sumatra Earthquake, and as a major challenge is how to pass on the lessons learned to the next generation, a grassroots technical cooperation project in which local residents take the initiative in implementing disaster prevention programs is currently underway in collaboration with Banda Aceh and Kamaishi City in Iwate Prefecture.
Kamaishi City was severely damaged by the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, but many children in the city survived. This is an example of the results of daily tsunami disaster prevention education, and is widely known as the “Kamaishi Incident.
In May 2024, a group of 17 people, including teachers from a junior high school in Banda Aceh and staff from the Aceh Tsunami Museum, visited Kamaishi City, Otsuchi Town, and Higashimatsushima City to learn about Kamaishi City’s disaster preparedness. The teachers, who were affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake when they were junior high school students and are now involved in the reconstruction of Kamaishi City, explained how they evacuated on the day of the earthquake, following the actual evacuation route, and participated in a simulated evacuation drill. Participants also had the opportunity to participate in a simulated evacuation drill. Some participants commented that they felt the importance of disaster prevention education at school and that they would like the children of Banda Aceh to experience the drill as well.
Trainees from Banda Aceh listen to an explanation of the disaster education curriculum and class implementation methods at Kamaishi Higashi Junior High School.
Driving alongside a wagon at a speed of 36 km/h, which is considered to be the average speed of a tsunami running upstream, one gets a sense of the speed of a tsunami.
Eri Hosoe, project manager of Nehama MIND, which is implementing this project in collaboration with Kamaishi City, says that in promoting cooperation for tsunami disaster prevention in Banda Aceh, “We are conscious of spending a lot of time with teachers and students in Banda Aceh so that they can think about the project as if it were their own. We place importance on sharing know-how with each other rather than imposing Japanese know-how,” he says. The participants in Banda Aceh have expressed their ambition to become the world’s number one in disaster prevention activities.
In December 2023, members of the Reconstruction Study Group of Iwate Prefectural Otsuchi High School visited Banda Aceh to share their experiences and lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake with local junior high and high school students. Participating high school students commented, “Even if you give statistics on damage to buildings, they are just numbers to people who do not know about disasters and do not lead to a true understanding of disaster prevention. We need to pass on the actual experiences of what happened and how people felt” and “I believe that if we continue to share our experiences with many people, they will pass them on for the next 100 years. These powerful words from the next generation of young people are helping to pass on the lessons of the disaster.
© Source JICA
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