In January 2005, the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (Hyogo Conference) emphasized the importance of urgently improving the disaster response capabilities of developing countries. The Japanese government adopted the idea of disaster reduction in the development assistance to developing countries and advocated the "cooperation initiative for disaster reduction/prevention" through cooperation in ODA programs, expressing its willingness to further utilize its knowledge on disaster countermeasures for international cooperation.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which occurred on January 17, 1995, was an unprecedented disaster and left extensive damage with casualties of approximately 6,400, and the total damage reaching 10 trillion yen. The earthquake-stricken areas have recovered quickly with generous and broad support from around the world, and have been promoting "community building" focused on disaster prevention/reduction measures. HAT Kobe, in which DRLC is located, is a district created as part of the symbolic project of Kobe city’s recovery from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and is a hub for various institutions including disaster reduction -related institutions and international relations organizations. DRLC, in cooperation with these institutions, is committed to broadly distributing Japan's expertise in disaster reduction/prevention to the whole world.

DRLC is committed to making full use of Japan's disaster experiences, lessons we have learned from them and the expertise in disaster reduction/prevention we have accumulated with an aim of effectively fostering international personnel in the field of disaster reduction/prevention. In order to achieve this aim, we are also committed to implementing the following operations