President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih visited the Maritime Disaster Prevention Centre (MDPC) in Yokosuka City, Japan on Thursday.

The president is currently in Japan on an official visit, having traveled to the country last weekend to attend Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony.

First Lady Fazna Ahmed joined the president during the tour of MDPC.

They were welcomed by the President of MDPC, Najajma Satoshi.

During the tour, Solih also met with five members of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) training at the facility and inquired about their progress and experiences.

The management and representatives from MDPC also briefed President Solih on emergency management, response mechanisms and training for disaster preparedness exercised in Japan.

The president also toured the MDPC’s Oil Spill Control Training Station and Coast Cleaning Training site; a state-of-the-art training department targeting oil spill control, firefighting, chemical and Hazardous Noxious Substance (NHS) control, and includes the Daini-Kaihou—a hazardous material response and firefighting training facility.

Japan’s emergency management system was enhanced as the island nation is prone to natural disasters including earthquakes, and its disaster management system is one of the most holistic systems in the world.

Maldives and Japan are currently working on finalising the 'Building Climate Resilient Safer Islands in the Maldives' project through the Global Climate Fund.