Dentsu Inc. Launches "+Sonae Project," a Specialized Organization Tackling Disaster Prevention and Mitigation from a Consumer Perspective

In response to the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters in recent years, and the need for action ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Dentsu Inc. launched the "+Sonae Project" within the company on June 1st. This initiative aims to professionally address disaster prevention and mitigation from a consumer perspective.
The project's inception stems from the growing recognition that disaster prevention requires not only hard measures like infrastructure but also increasingly important soft measures centered on people. There is also a societal demand for business-led initiatives to realize a new disaster-prepared society.
The Cabinet Office's 2014 Disaster Prevention White Paper highlighted the "limits of public assistance*," stating that "effectively utilizing the 'soft power' of self-help and mutual aid within local communities is essential to minimizing damage during large-scale, wide-area disasters." This underscores the importance of people-centered disaster prevention.
However, at present, disaster preparedness measures among the general public and private companies—expected to be the main drivers of self-help and mutual aid*—remain an ongoing challenge, requiring further awareness-raising and practical implementation. The newly launched "+Sonae Project" stems from the concept of adding a mindset of "preparedness" to daily life (+Sonae). The project aims to contribute to building a safe society with strong disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities by promoting the spread and integration of preparedness for natural disasters and by creating and expanding disaster prevention businesses.
Specifically, it will advance research, analysis, and solution development related to disaster prevention. It will also provide services to customers operating in the disaster prevention field, including consulting from a consumer perspective, product development, project management, and communication planning.
To achieve this, the company will fully leverage its accumulated expertise, know-how, and network in communication design—including its production capabilities, planning skills, and creativity—to propose solutions that address the diverse disaster prevention challenges faced by local governments, corporations, and organizations.

*Self-help, mutual aid, and public assistance as disaster countermeasures: This concept defines responses taken to mitigate damage when a disaster occurs. Assistance provided by the national government or local public entities is termed "public assistance," cooperation among local residents, volunteers, and businesses is termed "mutual aid," and actions taken to protect oneself is termed "self-help."

Source: Cabinet Office http://survey.gov-online.go.jp/h25/h25-bousai/2-5.html
Dentsu Inc. News Releasehttp://www.dentsu.co.jp/news/release/2015/0529-004057.html