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APRSAF-12

The 12th Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum

Meeting Details


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Being reminded of the recent loss of numerous lives and enormous damages suffered in the Asia-Pacific region resulting from earthquakes and Tsunamis, APRSAF-12 participants renewed the importance for the countries in the region, sharing similar climate and geological conditions, to cooperate even more closely in order to mitigate risks of disasters at the regional level. Satellite systems, not directly affected by disaster, can be stable and are highly reliable tools for disaster management, information gathering and communications in connection with ground systems. APRSAF-12, under the main theme entitled "Maximizing Space Benefits for the Society", focused on the use of space technology to cope with environmental problems, to prevent and mitigate risks of disasters, to improve quality of life and to bring about better future for the next generation.

Date and Place

Between October 11th (Tue) and 13th (Thu), 2005 at the Kitakyushu International Conference Center

Attendees

About 120 participants from 21 countries and 7 international organizations-Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, LaoPDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), ASEAN Subcommittee on Space Technology and Applications (SCOSA)-Secretariat, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), The Mekong River Commission (MRC), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)

Organizers

  • Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT)
  • Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

General Chairperson

APRSAF-12 was convened under the chairmanship of Dr. Hiroki Matsuo, Vice Chairman of Space Activities Commission (SAC) of Japan at the Plenary Sessions of the first and final days.

Theme and Content

Main theme: Maximizing Space Benefits for the Society

Contents:

  • Contribution to disaster management and reduction using space technology
  • Enlightening the public about space and promoting education using space

Summary Report of APRSAF-12

The Opening Plenary was started with the opening address of Dr. Hiroki Matsuo (Vice Chairman, Space Activities Commission (SAC), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan), followed by the welcome remarks of Mr. Yasutaka Moriguchi (Director-General, Research and Development Bureau, MEXT). And then, each of the Working Group Chairpersons made its group activity report-Earth Observation (EO) WG by Mr. Toshio Doura, Communication Satellite Applications (CSA) WG by Mr. Kazunori Inagaki, Space Education & Awareness (SEA) WG by Prof. Koh-Ichiro Oyama, and International Space Station (ISS) WG by Mr. Tetsuo Tanaka.

Dr. Keiji Tachikawa (President of JAXA) began with the Plenary Session. Then, five speakers made their presentations-Prof. Andrew Parfitt (Chief Executive Officer of CRCSS, Australia), Mr. G. Nair (Chairman of ISRO, India), Dato'(Prof.).Nik Nasruddin (Director of MACRES, Malaysia) (read by Mr. A. Napia), and Dr. Alexander Medvechikov (Deputy Head of FSA, Russia).

In the afternoon Plenary Session, eleven representatives introduced their own activities, namely from Bangladesh, Republic of Korea, Indonesia (LAPAN), Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia (BAKORNAS), ESCAP and China.

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  • Plenary Session

The second day of the Session was assigned for WG discussions. Four Working Groups-Earth Observation, Communication Satellite Applications, Space Education & Awareness, and ISS-spent a whole day for their own activities and future directions to be pursued. The latter part of the day constituted a special session for "establishing a disaster management system in the Asia-Pacific region" which was organized jointly by the Working Groups on Earth Observation and Communication Satellite Applications.

In the morning of the third day, five reports from four working groups and a special session were presented at the plenary session. As the result of the discussion based upon the working group and the Special Session summary reports, and through discussions among the participants, APRSAF-12 adopted the recommendations and action items, which we should implement towards the next APRSAF-13.

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In the afternoon, the technical tour was organized in cooperation with the City of Kitakyushu and visited the Kitakyushu Eco-Town and the Kokura Castle.

Related Event

As a follow-up on the previous session of APRSAF (APRSAF-11), the Space Education & Awareness WG organized the Water Boosted Rocket Competition in Kitakyushu on October 15, 2005, inviting children from Asian countries.