to address members of the Japanese Diet, and I wish all the Japanese leaders the very best in both recovering from the March 11 Tsunami and in making plans to protect the Japanese shores from another disaster. As the Chairman of the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, I have been learning a lot about human resilience in the face of natural disasters. In fact, the Foundation will be selecting 100 Resilient Cities (from around the world) for special funding consideration in the next two years, and of course we have learned a lot from our own encounter with Super Storm Sandy one year ago. What I am gathering from the experts advising us is that there is no single “silver bullet” solution to effective resilience in the face of cyclones, tornadoes, tsunamis or other natural disasters. Rather, it is vital to prepare a broad menu of resilience measures which fit the particular conditions of a lightly populated coastline or a densely populated city. Following Sandy, the President of our Foundation, Dr. Judith Rodin, co-chaired a review commission on Resilience Preparation for New York Governor Cuomo, and I would be happy to share that report with members of the Diet. I wish you well as you seek to invest scarce and valuable yen in preparing for future events of unknown date or magnitude. Certainly, a well-prepared populace is essential, and, in addition, many location/appropriate modifications to the existing landscape and infrastructure. All best wishes from your American friend, David Rockefeller, Jr.”