Japan’s government is preparing to launch a new Disaster Management Agency by the end of this year to unify and strengthen the country’s response to natural calamities. The move comes amid increasing concerns over the potential for devastating earthquakes, flooding, and other disasters that frequently affect the nation.
In July, the Diet passed legislation establishing the agency, which aims to coordinate disaster prevention, emergency response, and recovery efforts more efficiently across different government bodies. Japan is considered highly vulnerable to natural disasters, with a government committee last year estimating a 60% to 94.5% probability that a major earthquake along the Nankai Trough will occur within the next three decades. Such an event could cause approximately 300,000 deaths and displace over 12 million people along Japan’s Pacific coastal regions, including Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu.
Kazuhisa Nagahashi, vice minister for disaster management in the Cabinet Office, explained that the creation of a dedicated agency reflects the need to enhance policy consistency and better coordinate preventive initiatives across ministries, which until now have operated largely independently. The new agency will begin with around 350 staff members, a significant increase from the previous 110-person team within the Cabinet Office and 220 staff added last year.
Nagahashi cited the challenges faced during the recent update of the Basic Plan for the Promotion of Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Management Countermeasures as an example of the strain on resources. The revision process, initiated in late 2023, was paused for about six months due to the demands of responding to the January 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. The expanded agency is expected to provide more sustained attention to both planning and active responses.
The agency will also act as a centralized point of contact in disaster situations, simplifying coordination for affected municipalities that currently must navigate multiple ministries with differing responsibilities. For instance, sediment deposited on roads, farmland, or residential property is handled by different agencies under separate regulations, complicating cleanup operations. Centralizing authority over such tasks could streamline recovery efforts.
Public education on disaster risks will be a priority for the agency. Nagahashi highlighted the importance of measures like tremor-sensing circuit breakers to automatically cut power during earthquakes to reduce fire hazards, which have accounted for significant fatalities in past events. He also underscored the critical role of rapid tsunami evacuation, referencing that about 90% of deaths during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake resulted from tsunamis.
To improve communication, the agency will establish a spokesperson role to coordinate disaster-related information dissemination domestically and abroad, working with ministries such as Japan Tourism Agency and the Foreign Ministry to provide multilingual updates.
Collaboration between the government, local municipalities, nonprofit organizations, volunteer groups, private companies, and academic institutions will be key to enhancing disaster response. Nagahashi gave the example of leveraging the food service industry for meal provision in disaster zones, using municipal data on vulnerable populations to tailor assistance.
Technological innovation will also play a significant role. The agency plans to advance systems like Sobo-Web, a digital platform that integrates data from various government and private sources to provide up-to-date maps showing damage, accessible routes, and operational facilities during emergencies. Japan’s expertise in satellite weather forecasting, drone technology, and water recycling systems will be promoted domestically and internationally to boost resilience.
Japan’s commitment to global disaster risk reduction is reflected in its hosting of multiple U.N. World Conferences on Disaster Risk Reduction, including the 2015 event in Sendai that produced the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Sendai will also host the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2027 to facilitate international cooperation and shared learning.
Nagahashi emphasized that the ultimate goal is to ensure that all lives are saved and sustained regardless of where or who is affected by disasters, reinforcing Japan’s ambition to lead in disaster resilience.