The Japanese government nominated Makoto Iokibe, a Catholic and president of the National Defense Academy of Japan, on April 11 to head a panel of experts to form the Reconstruction Design Council.

The council is responsible for drawing up reconstruction proposals for the areas devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The 15-member council includes the governors of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, which were hit by the 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami on March 11.

The council held its first meeting today and the experts are scheduled to bring their proposals together by the end of June.

Iokibe served as a member of the think tank for reconstruction plan after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Eathquake in 1995.

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