Capacity Building of International Search and Rescue Teams Through the Classification System: Example from the Japan Disaster Relief Team and the INSARAG External Classification and Reclassification

This paper examines how the internationally-deployed search and rescue team of Japan, Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) team, strengthened its capacity through the classification system conducted by International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), which is called INSARAG External Classification (IEC) and Reclassification (IER). This paper concludes that IEC/R contributed to the capacity building of the team such as change of the team composition and introduction of the new techniques, through learning from other countries. The effect was not limited to JDR team, and it also contributed to strengthening the domestic teams in Japan.