Over the past several years, the Asia-Pacific has experienced disasters on various scales and severity, often compounded by technological system failures, such as the 311 earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, the Sowel ferry disaster in Korea, and the propene explosion in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In addition, recent scandals regarding food safety in Taiwan and China have created a sense of urgency. These disasters and threats have brought major controversies over how to ensure a safe future in a risk society, and they have also drawn people from different sectors to participate in the discussion. Most importantly, the public has become even more critical in shaping the climate of civil and policy making opinions. Confronting these disasters, how do we mobilize and empower the public to engage in the improvement of a technological society in order to increase our resilience in the face of giant disasters?
