A WCDR conference was held in Kobe, Japan January 18–January 22, 2005. This conference took on particular poignancy coming almost 10 years to the day after the Great Hanshin earthquake in Kobe and less than a month after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and resulting tsunami. Japan's long history of severe natural disasters, prominence in international humanitarian aid and development and scientific achievements monitoring dangerous natural phenomena also made it a suitable conference venue.