Banda Aceh strengthens disaster cooperation with Japan
The Banda Aceh municipal government has renewed its cooperation with the Higashimatsushima city government in Japan, covering disaster resilience, education, fisheries, environment, and tourism.
“Alhamdulillah, we are continuing the cooperation for the next five years with Higashimatsushima,” said Banda Aceh Mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal when confirmed from Banda Aceh on Wednesday.
The continuation of the cooperation was marked by the re-signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Mayor of Banda Aceh and the Mayor of Higashimatsushima, along with their respective parliamentary leaders, held virtually from Jakarta.
The signing ceremony was also witnessed by representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the provincial government, and Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, among others. From Japan, the Mayor and the Speaker of the Higashimatsushima Parliament attended, along with officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and others.
Illiza said the continuation was also part of her visit to Japan in April 2026, during which a Letter of Intent was signed as an initial agreement for the cooperation.
The cooperation programmes with Japan cover disaster management to help the people of Banda Aceh become disaster-resilient, as well as education, environment and sanitation, fisheries, marine affairs, tourism, and other areas.
Illiza explained that the cooperation benefits not only the government but also the people of Banda Aceh, particularly as Higashimatsushima has many programmes for internships, fisher empowerment, and small and medium enterprises.
She noted that the previous memorandum of understanding also addressed disaster resilience, tourism, marine empowerment, oyster cultivation, and small businesses. The current agreement, however, focuses more on improving professionalism in natural resource management and education.
“Hopefully there will be student exchanges, internships, and so on. For the SME groups, previously they only made products from Japan. Going forward, we are asking for support with packaging and other aspects, because Japan is truly exceptional in packaging,” Illiza said.
Regarding the disaster-resilient city initiative, she added that a programme could be implemented to strengthen escape building management, which is quite different and better in Japan, where the concept includes providing adequate equipment and logistics.
However, the exact programme details will be determined after the Japanese side conducts an assessment of the needs to be implemented.
“The continuation will depend on the assessment. And if the support comes from JICA, they usually look at what is needed, so they will conduct an assessment first,” Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal said.