The highly anticipated fourth Japan-Indonesia Smart City Forum and the first Japan-ASEAN e-Disaster Forum took place on Dec. 6. This year's theme, "Smart Cities and e-Disaster Solutions with AI," brought together leading experts from Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines to discuss the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in building resilient and efficient smart cities.

Held online via Zoom Meeting, the forum was co-organized by Waseda University and Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), with sponsorship from the APEC Digital Government Research Center and the Japanese government. The event aimed to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among the participating countries, addressing the challenges and best practices in developing smart cities.

The opening ceremony was led by Prof. Suhono Harso Supangkat, director of the Smart City and Community Innovation Center at ITB. Following the opening remarks, Yasuo Tawara, director general of the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, delivered a welcoming speech.

The forum featured nine expert speakers, each allocated 15 minutes for presentation and five minutes for Q&A. The speakers represented leading institutions and organizations in Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. From Japan were Dr. Masaru Fujino (director general, Ministry of Internal affairs and Communication), Prof. Dr. Naoko Iwasaki (Waseda University, adviser to Digital Tokyo) and Manabu Kahara, (executive director, Exeo Corp.); from Thailand there was Prof. Poomporn Thamsatitdej (director, AI Center at Thammasat University); and from Philippines there was Prof. F. Magno, (director of SDGs and City Development Forum, De La Salle University). From Indonesia Dr. Mego Pinandito (deputy chairman for development policy, the National Research and Innovation Agency) talked about innovative research for smart cities and e-disaster solutions; Dr. Harkunti Pertiwi Rahayu (ITB) talked about e-disaster solutions for tsunami-prone cities, Dr. Yudhistira Nugraha (head of Jakarta Smart City Office) talked about flood-control systems based on AI (machine learning) and data-based decision support systems, and Sito Dewi presented a talk on behalf of Buldansyah (director, PT Indosat) on empowering Indonesia through e-disaster management.

The topics covered during the forum ranged from empowering Indonesia through e-disaster management and flood-control systems based on AI to innovative research for smart city development. Specific discussions included data-based decision support systems, e-disaster solutions for tsunami-prone cities, and the role of digital infrastructure companies.

The event concluded with closing remarks by Prof. Toshio Obi, professor emeritus of Waseda University and director of the APEC Digital Government Research Center. Obi expressed his gratitude for the successful forum, citing its productivity and the high-quality presentations by the esteemed speakers. He also hinted at the possibility of organizing the fifth forum next year.

The fourth Japan-Indonesia Smart City Forum and the first Japan-ASEAN e-Disaster Forum underscored the importance of leveraging AI in developing smart cities and enhancing disaster resilience, setting the stage for continued collaboration and advancements in the field.