Promoting Emergency Measures toward Recovery from the Earthquake
- Eighth Recommendation: Recovery Measures for International Transportation, Tourism and Trade -

We offer our sincerest condolences to those affected by the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami that struck northeast Japan on March 11. We extend our heartfelt prayers for a speedy recovery.

On March 15, 2011, Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. (NRI) launched the earthquake recovery assistance project team under the direct control of its president, Tadashi Shimamoto. Since March 30, it has announced recommendations and survey results about disaster recovery. For further information on the recommendations and results of research NRI group has released to date, see the following website: http://www.nri.co.jp/act311/index.html (Japanese only)

The Project now presents "Eighth Recommendation: Recovery Measures for International Transportation, Tourism and Trade." It is summarized as follows.

■Recommendations

Following the disaster, Japan became the subject of travel warnings by every country in the world, and in addition to calls to foreigners to evacuate the country, passenger and cargo vessels originating in Japan are being subjected to stricter checks than usual.

As a result, a large number of travelers have cancelled bookings to Japan, the outflow of foreigners continues and in April many airlines announced flight scheduling reductions on routes to and from the country.

The effects of the earthquake, tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident have been widespread across international transport, tourism and trade. These effects have been felt not just in east Japan and the Tokyo region but also in western Japan, and we have seen a trend to avoid Japan as a whole. If this situation continues, we may see a long-term loss of coverage of the international transport and distribution network from Japan as a point of origin or transit. This would be a tremendous blow to the economy.

To avoid these consequences, nothing is more important than efforts to restore confidence among overseas businesses and citizens by reducing harmful misinformation about Japan as a whole.

1. Call on globally credible international organizations to release accurate information on a continuing basis
2. Campaign to restore belief overseas in the safety of Japanese food and manufactured products
3. Emergency stimulus measures through government-industry cooperation
4. Maintenance of gateway functions through enhanced coordination of international hub airports and international sea ports.

In addition, the following two points should be implemented over the medium to long term:

5. Establishment of a strong trade and distribution system able to withstand disasters by means of an IT-based cargo monitoring system
6. Prompt restoration of port and harbor functions using private sector investment and know-how.

For further details on this recommendation, see the following website (Japanese only):
http://www.nri.co.jp/opinion/r_report/pdf/201104_fukkou8.pdf