Earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, wildfires… As large-scale disasters continue to strike around the world, the Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) team—for which JICA serves as the secretariat—is being deployed more frequently. During the June earthquake in Venezuela, South America, which claimed the lives of over 6,000 people, a medical team was among the first to enter the hardest-hit areas. This was also a way to repay the support Venezuela had provided following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Along with reports from the front lines, we take a closer look at the activities of the JDR.
JDR volunteer Mikoto Onodera, treating children in the earthquake-stricken areas of Venezuela
Investigation Team Dispatched the Day After an M7-Magnitude Earthquake: What Is the International Emergency Assistance Team?
“Am I seeing things? No, wait—could it be…?”
Early in the morning on June 25, Takayuki Kondo, Executive Director of JDR, checked an email on his smartphone at home and tilted his head in puzzlement. A global disaster information website was reporting an earthquake in Venezuela. However, the color indicating the severity of the damage had suddenly changed from “orange” (moderate) to “red” (the highest level). This signaled that an earthquake with a magnitude exceeding 7 had struck the same location again just 39 seconds later.
The JDR (Japan Disaster Relief Team) is a team of Japanese experts that operates in affected countries when large-scale disasters occur overseas. Its secretariat is housed at JICA, and it operates five teams, including medical and rescue teams. Approximately 900 people have volunteered and registered for the medical team, and they undergo regular training and workshops even in peacetime.
When the JDR Secretariat receives a request for assistance from a disaster-stricken country, it forms a team in accordance with a dispatch order from the Japanese government and deploys it to the affected area.
Based on past experience, Secretary-General Kondo anticipated the need to dispatch a medical team and sent a fact-finding team on the 26th, the day after the incident. With the international airport in the capital, Caracas, closed, he worked urgently to secure routes for the team members and equipment to reach the site. Based in part on field reports from this survey team, the Minister of Foreign Affairs issued a dispatch order on July 1. As a result, the first contingent—totaling 43 members (including some personnel from the coordination team)—departed Japan in separate groups and arrived in La Guaira State, the epicenter of the quake, ahead of teams from Europe and the United States. With the capital’s airport remaining closed, they entered the country in separate groups via small regional airports and reached the disaster site after several hours of travel by land.
Medical Center in Earthquake-Hit Area: Crowds Flock to the Site
As they set foot in the city, the team members were speechless. “Pancake collapses”—where buildings crumble as if crushed from the ceiling down—were occurring everywhere. Huge apartment buildings that had completely collapsed were scattered throughout the area. Yoshihiro Takayanagi (employed at Aichi Medical University Hospital), a nursing leader who also served during the Turkey earthquake (2023) and the Myanmar earthquake (2025), reflects, “It was one of the worst situations I’ve ever seen.”
A disaster-stricken area in La Guaira State, where widespread building collapses have occurred. Searches for missing persons continued even near the site that served as JDR’s base of operations (Photo courtesy of team member Akira Watanabe).
When we began outpatient services on the 8th, about 100 disaster victims visited the clinic each day. They had fractures, infected wounds, respiratory conditions such as asthma, and malnutrition…
Long lines of patients waiting for treatment formed at the Japanese site.
While operating a compact X-ray machine shipped from Japan, team member Akira Watanabe, a medical radiologic technologist (employed at Saiseikai Niigata Chuo Core Hospital), could not hide his surprise.
“Even though about two weeks had passed, there were still so many people who hadn’t received adequate medical care and were still walking around with broken bones or injuries.”
Team member Akira Watanabe uses a compact X-ray machine brought in from Japan to examine a woman who was rescued after being trapped under rubble for 18 hours.
Shedding Light on Psychological Trauma: “Typically Japanese” Thoughtful Consideration
It’s not just visible injuries. There are also cases where people who continue to search for missing family members collapse from psychological stress and are brought in for treatment. Wondering, “Is there more we can do to help with their emotional distress?” the nurses listened intently to the patients’ concerns. With children who couldn’t put their trauma into words, they played with origami and balloons, doing their best to bring smiles to their faces.
Team member Mikoto Onodera, a pharmacist (who works at Tokyo Women’s Medical University Hospital), also faced a dilemma. The supply of medicine she had brought from Japan was limited, so she couldn’t distribute enough to everyone. Wanting to do at least something, she slipped a paper crane into the medicine bag of a patient who seemed down and said, “This is a good-luck charm from Japan.”
A girl smiles after receiving a paper crane from a JDR team member
This thoughtful attention to detail garnered widespread praise, and lines of patients began forming at the Japanese clinic every morning as early as 5 a.m. “They rushed here from the other side of the world,” said residents, who brought them a steady stream of drinks and snacks.
Recognized for their expertise in medical technology and data management, they are sometimes asked by teams from Europe and the United States—which do not have their own X-ray equipment—to take images of patients and provide diagnoses. The governor of La Guaira State awarded them the highest honor among all the international teams.
JDR team members treating a boy with a leg injury
Globally Recognized Expertise: Insights Applied to Domestic Disasters
Japan’s international emergency assistance began with aid to Cambodian refugees in 1979. Subsequently, in 1987, the “Act on the Dispatch of the Japan Disaster Relief Team (JDR Act)” came into effect, establishing a framework for JDR’s activities.
JDR will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027. Including the response to the Venezuela earthquake, the organization has conducted 175 missions, and its activities have been highly praised internationally.
The rescue team, led by the National Police Agency, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and the Japan Coast Guard, has been certified by the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) at the highest level, “Heavy.”
The medical team has also been certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a team capable of providing high-quality disaster medical care. We have continuously enhanced our capabilities in response to evolving needs, such as establishing an advisory system to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and introducing electronic medical records to expedite the compilation of clinical data.
There are also operations involving multiple teams. In response to the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami, which caused extensive damage across 12 countries, Japan dispatched a total of 14 teams—comprising approximately 1,600 personnel, including rescue and medical personnel, experts, and Self-Defense Forces units—to four countries, including Sri Lanka. Japan provided seamless support from emergency response through recovery and reconstruction, carrying out its largest-ever mission.
Rescue teams were deployed during the 2003 Algeria earthquake. Working in cooperation with a Turkish team, they successfully rescued a man.
In fact, the Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) that provide assistance in disaster-stricken areas across Japan originated from the activities of the JDR. Many medical professionals are registered with both organizations, and some team members even headed to Kumamoto immediately after returning from Venezuela.
Team member Takayanagi, who is also a member of DMAT and flies on the medical helicopter, says:
“While leading a nursing team in Venezuela, what I learned about DMAT operations proved extremely helpful. This experience will also contribute to our activities here in Japan. The activities of JDR and DMAT form a cycle that drives the advancement of disaster medicine.”
Furthermore, this cycle of development is spreading overseas as well.
Volunteer Yoshihiro Takayanagi (center), who serves as a nursing leader and coordinator on a Japanese website in La Guaira State (Photo courtesy of the subject)
Connecting Experience to the Future
JICA is collaborating on the “ARCH Project,” which aims to help the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries strengthen their disaster health and medical care networks. As Japan shares its experience and expertise with participating countries, initiatives such as Thailand’s version of DMAT have emerged. In addition, through training activities and other efforts, public-private networks among the participating countries are being strengthened.
Regarding the significance of this kind of international cooperation, Secretary-General Kondo stated the following:
“Japan’s expertise as a nation prone to disasters is now widely sought after around the world, and the JDR’s presence in the international community is growing year by year. At the same time, if a massive earthquake were to strike the Nankai Trough or similar events were to occur, Japan might find itself in a position where it needs to accept assistance from other countries. I believe that sharing our experiences and lessons learned both domestically and internationally, and building a network where we know each other personally, will also help protect the people of Japan.”
Takayuki Kondo, Executive Director of the Japan International Emergency Assistance Team Secretariat, expresses his gratitude to the team members who returned home at the disbandment ceremony for the Second Contingent
Connecting the World Through Trust—JDR continues to put JICA’s vision into practice on the front lines of disaster-stricken areas.
The Pride of Supporting Others, the Pride of Being Supported
Team members Watanabe and Onodera, who were deployed for the first time on this mission, are both from the Tohoku region. Their decision to register with JDR stemmed from their gratitude for the support they received during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Immediately after the disaster struck, Japan received 19 metric tons of emergency supplies—including food, blankets, and medical supplies—from the Venezuelan government.
When Team Member Onodera heard about the earthquake in Venezuela, the first thing that came to mind was his memory of that time. “My parents’ home and my friends, who had been affected by the tsunami, were encouraged by the outpouring of support and were able to get back on their feet. Venezuela, in particular, was one of the first countries to send relief supplies. I volunteered for the mission without hesitation.”
The Japanese team, consisting of 77 members from the first and second contingents, carried out activities for three weeks and provided medical care to more than 1,600 people in total. When the Kumamoto earthquake struck on July 28, members of the second contingent—who were about to return home—reportedly received words of sympathy from disaster victims in Venezuela.
Team member Watanabe, who has returned from Venezuela, carries these words—spoken to him by a patient—in his heart as he goes about his daily medical work.
“Hiroshima, the great earthquake—Japan is a strong nation that has risen from adversity time and time again. We are proud to have received medical care in a country like Japan.”
© Source JICA