ANKARA - ''1961 was a turning point for disasters (in Japan), and the death toll in disasters have gradually dropped thanks to measures taken since 1961,'' said Satoru Nishikawa, the Director of the Preparedness to Disasters, Public Relations & International Cooperation Cabinet Office.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) organized a seminar on ''Natural Disasters & Media'' in Turkish capital of Ankara.
In the conference, Nishikawa indicated that the media had an important role in ''disaster management, campaigns to raise consciousness of people, and early warning''.
According to Nishikawa, a person can become aware and conscious about disasters when s/he is younger.
On the other hand, Tomio Kojima, the Director of Japanese Disaster Reduction Center, said that the meteorology department was informing the state television NHK about the magnitude of the earthquake in two minutes, and about the tsunami threat immediately after the quake.
-JICA'S VIEWS ABOUT TURKEY-
September 1 has been declared as the ''Disaster Prevention Day'' in Japan, while January 17 is ''Disaster Prevention & Volunteer Day''.
According to JICA, Istanbul is not so much threatened by natural disasters as some other metropolises.
However, JICA thinks that Turkish media was so sensitive when it covered the developments after the massive earthquake of 1999, and could not inform citizens about the possible damages of this disaster.