A total of 45 local governments and regional groups across Japan had offered to host regional offices of the country＊s disaster management agency, expected to be launched in November, as of Friday, Jiji Press has learned.
Among them, 23 are prefectural governments, including those making joint bids with municipalities, accounting for about half of the nation＊s prefectures, according to officials of the Cabinet Secretariat.
Many of the applicants are located in regions that were severely damaged in past major earthquakes. At the same time, some local governments said they hope hosting the agency＊s regional offices would help correct the overconcentration of functions in Tokyo and revitalize regional economies.
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