On 23 March 2021, Consul-General Mr. Krit Tankanarat, together with officials and staff of the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Osaka and members of Team Thailand in Osaka comprising of Thai Trade Center, Thailand Board of Investment and Tourism Authority of Thailand, paid a study visit to the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution (DRI) and Hyogo Prefecture Government Office to learn about Hyogo’s know-how in disaster and waste management.   
        Greeting the Thai delegation at the DRI was Mr. Ikeda Toru, Deputy Executive Director of DRI, who provided information about the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995 which killed 6,434 people, injured 43,792 people and destroyed 249,180 houses. The DRI helps raise disaster awareness and enhance public capacity in order to mitigate the impact of future disaster.
         At the Hyogo Prefecture Government Office, Mr. Mizuguchi Norihisa, Superintendent of International Affairs of Hyogo Prefecture, and Mr. Baba Toshiro, Assistant Director of Environmental Improvement Division, Environmental Management Bureau, Agriculture and Environmental Affairs Department of Hyogo Prefecture, briefed the delegation on waste management policy and how to categorize waste for recycle purpose.
        This study visit of the Consulate-General and Team Thailand provided opportunity for the Thai side to learn the experiences and best practices of Hyogo Prefecture which can be applied to Thailand and will be instrumental in fostering future cooperation between Thailand and the Kansai region.