The Banda Aceh municipal government has renewed its cooperation with\nthe Higashimatsushima city government in Japan, covering disaster\nresilience, education, fisheries, environment, and tourism.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlhamdulillah, we are continuing the cooperation for the next five\nyears with Higashimatsushima,\u201d said Banda Aceh Mayor Illiza Sa\u2019aduddin\nDjamal when confirmed from Banda Aceh on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The continuation of the cooperation was marked by the re-signing of a\nmemorandum of understanding between the Mayor of Banda Aceh and the\nMayor of Higashimatsushima, along with their respective parliamentary\nleaders, held virtually from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The signing ceremony was also witnessed by representatives from the\nMinistry of Home Affairs, the provincial government, and Syiah Kuala\nUniversity in Banda Aceh, among others. From Japan, the Mayor and the\nSpeaker of the Higashimatsushima Parliament attended, along with\nofficials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and\nothers.<\/p>\n
Illiza said the continuation was also part of her visit to Japan in\nApril 2026, during which a Letter of Intent was signed as an initial\nagreement for the cooperation.<\/p>\n
The cooperation programmes with Japan cover disaster management to\nhelp the people of Banda Aceh become disaster-resilient, as well as\neducation, environment and sanitation, fisheries, marine affairs,\ntourism, and other areas.<\/p>\n
Illiza explained that the cooperation benefits not only the\ngovernment but also the people of Banda Aceh, particularly as\nHigashimatsushima has many programmes for internships, fisher\nempowerment, and small and medium enterprises.<\/p>\n
She noted that the previous memorandum of understanding also\naddressed disaster resilience, tourism, marine empowerment, oyster\ncultivation, and small businesses. The current agreement, however,\nfocuses more on improving professionalism in natural resource management\nand education.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully there will be student exchanges, internships, and so on.\nFor the SME groups, previously they only made products from Japan. Going\nforward, we are asking for support with packaging and other aspects,\nbecause Japan is truly exceptional in packaging,\u201d Illiza said.<\/p>\n
Regarding the disaster-resilient city initiative, she added that a\nprogramme could be implemented to strengthen escape building management,\nwhich is quite different and better in Japan, where the concept includes\nproviding adequate equipment and logistics.<\/p>\n
However, the exact programme details will be determined after the\nJapanese side conducts an assessment of the needs to be implemented.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe continuation will depend on the assessment. And if the support\ncomes from JICA, they usually look at what is needed, so they will\nconduct an assessment first,\u201d Illiza Sa\u2019aduddin Djamal said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/banda-aceh-strengthens-disaster-cooperation-with-japan-1787752510", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }