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Links: ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº and Japan

redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now/Make-a-single-donation/Japan-Tsunami-Appeal" target="_self">Red Cross Japan Tsunami appeal

¹û¶³Ó°Ôº is holding a symposium on the current situation in Japan. It will take place on March 22 at 4.20pm in the JZ Young Lecture Theatre.

The symposium is being organised by Professor Shin-ichi Ohnuma (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Institute of Ophthalmology), Dr Yoshiyuki Yamamoto (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Cell and Developmental Biology), and Dr TakuÌýFujiyamaÌý(¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering).

There will be a fundraising element to the event and all proceeds will go to the Red Cross appeal for those suffering the devastating consequences of the tsunami, earthquake and nuclear power plant explosions in the Tohoku area of Japan.

Dr Fujiyama explained: "This symposium has been put together as a response to the recent major earthquake in Japan. It will cover the current state of the area and give some lessons from a previous major earthquake, the Hyogo earthquake."

"It will also give attendees a better idea about ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's historical link with Japan, particularly in the Tohoku region, which has been the worst affected. ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding with the area's key regional university, Tohoku University, only last month. The attendance and support of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº staff at this symposium will be greatly appreciated."

The programme for the symposium is as follows:

16:20 - Introduction

Professor Derek Tocher (Pro-Provost, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº, East and South East Asia)

16:30 - ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's links with Japan

Professor Shin-ichi Ohnuma (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Institute of Ophthalmology)

16:45 - The current state of Tohoku University and SendaiÌý

Dr Masanori Takahashi (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº National Institute for Medical Research)

17:00- The Kobe earthquake

Professor Hiramatsu (Director, JSPS London)

17:20 - The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami

Professor Peter Sammonds (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction)

18:00 - Closing statementsÌý

For further information, please contact ProfessorÌýOhnuma by emailing s.ohnuma@ucl.ac.uk or calling Ìý+44 (0)207 608 4062

Image: Photo of Japan taken by satellite, May 2010