Enhancement of Disaster Prevention and Management

Upholding disaster prevention as one of his main agenda, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba launched a ministers’ meeting for promoting disaster-preventing nation on December 20th. The ministers confirmed enhancement of human resource to deal with natural disasters, such as earthquake, flood or wind storm, in national and local governments. The Cabinet is going to raise the budget for disaster prevention in FY 2025. 

Ishiba stressed his position for enhancing disaster prevention policy in the campaign of presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party in September, considering serious demands for reconstruction from the major earthquake in Noto Peninsula on January 1st, 2024. He included establishment of Ministry of Disaster Prevention in his campaign platform.

 

As stipulated in Disaster Management Basic Act, National Disaster Management Council, established in Cabinet Office and topped by the prime minister, coordinates disaster prevention plan. There has been, however, a discussion that Japan needs to have an organization for disaster prevention and management, such as Federal Emergency Management Agency in the United States. Although conservative lawmakers hoped constitutional amendment for vesting stronger power to the prime minister in emergency, Ishiba deals the issue within current constitutional framework.

 

“While we cannot prevent occurrence of natural disaster, it is entirely the man-made disaster what is happening thereafter,” said Ishiba in the ministers’ meeting for disaster prevention, quoting the words of Masaharu Gotouda, former Chief Cabinet Secretary in Yasuhiro Nakasone Cabinet.

 

The prime minister has power to oversee local government in preparing and management of natural disaster. The ministers’ meeting decided to deploy officers in the section for disaster prevention of Cabinet Office, who would be in charge of each of all forty-seven prefectures. Concerning possibility of Nankai megathrust earthquake, tailor-made  measures from national government to each prefecture is recognized as indispensable.

 

According to the data of Cabinet Office, 261 deaths out of total 489 in Noto Peninsula Earthquake were deaths after the disaster occurred. Maintenance of evacuees’ health is important as well as disaster prevention. The officers in Cabinet Office for each prefecture is going to urge each local government to stockpile foods and clothes for unpredictable disasters. They will coordinate sharing information of temporary houses for the evacuees to live in.

 

Ishiba administration hopes to establish Disaster Prevention Agency in FY 2026 by reforming the section in the Cabinet Office. Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization, Ryosei Akazawa, is supposed to be the minister for the agency. The Cabinet raised 14.6 billion yen for disaster prevention in the draft of FY 2025 budget, doubling from FY 2024. Officers will also be doubled for appointing to the post for each prefecture, trying to be the most advanced country in disaster prevention.

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