TOKYO: Japan’s Emperor Naruhito sent a video message titled “Water for Shared Prosperity” to a session of the 10th World Water Forum held on Tuesday on the island of Bali, Indonesia.

In the keynote lecture, the Emperor explained the situation in areas in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, affected by the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake, where he visited with Empress Masako in March and April.

At the beginning of the 20-minute message in English, the Emperor, mentioning that natural disasters have occurred around the world in the past two years, including the Noto Peninsula earthquake, expressed sympathy for the victims of such catastrophes.

After introducing an ancient stone monument displayed at the National Museum of Indonesia inscribed with information about flood-control systems that he inspected during his visit to the country last June, and a water-sharing system in Bali, the Emperor said, “I sincerely hope that humankind will continue to learn from such good examples and further prosper through water, leading to a world where we share the fruits of our efforts.”

Touching on the damaged areas in Ishikawa, he introduced the Shiroyone Senmaida terraced rice paddies in the city of Wajima that suffered numerous cracks due to the Jan. 1 earthquake, showing pictures he took in 2018, before the disaster.

Referring to large-scale water outages that occurred as a result of the quake, he said: “Every disaster reveals new lessons. We can build back better by overcoming them one step at a time.”

The Emperor studies water issues as his lifework and has participated in the triannual forum from its third edition in 2003 by giving lectures or sending video messages.

JIJI Press