51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Tag - disaster-preparedness

 
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July 24, 2026
 

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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a government meeting on disaster response measures at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 14, 2026
Japan to boost measures against heatstroke and cold at evacuation centers
The revised plan comes after residents in many parts of Japan had to spend long hours at evacuation centers following a powerful earthquake in July last year.
The Upper House on Monday passed a bill to establish a new disaster management agency and legislation aimed at curbing the online spread of election-related misinformation and defamation.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 13, 2026
Upper House passes bill to set up disaster management agency
Bills aimed at curbing the spread of election-related misinformation and defamation on social media and the internet were also passed on Monday.
For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society / Longform
Jul 13, 2026
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
Burying Japan¡¯s power lines is far more difficult ¡ª and expensive ¡ª than it looks.
All Nippon Airways' new Hokkaido facility has about 60 employees from various divisions to maintain operations during the first week following a possible major disaster or terrorist attack.
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2026
ANA opens Hokkaido facility to ensure continuity in event of disaster
The major airline moved part of its operations from Tokyo¡¯s Haneda Airport to the new facility, which began full-scale operations earlier this month.
KDDI and KDDI SmartDrone will study the potential use of AI drones for disaster prevention and for patrolling and inspecting infrastructure facilities.
BUSINESS
Jul 7, 2026
KDDI to conduct AI drone feasibility study in Vietnam and the Philippines
KDDI and KDDI SmartDrone will study the potential use of AI drones for disaster prevention and for patrolling and inspecting infrastructure facilities.
A woman offers prayers in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, on Monday, mourning people who lost their lives in a devastating rain disaster that hit the area in 2018.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 6, 2026
Victims mourned eight years after western Japan rain disaster
Residents across the Chugoku region on Monday mourned over 300 people who lost their lives in the incident that hit the area in 2018.
Bereaved family members lay flowers during a memorial ceremony to mark the sixth anniversary of the heavy rain disaster in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Sunday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 5, 2026
Memorial held for 2020 rain disaster in Kumamoto
Participants included bereaved family members, land minister Yasushi Kaneko and Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura.
Kawasaki fire department helicopters. The government may provide financial support to cover the training costs of pilots for firefighting and disaster relief helicopters.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 5, 2026
Japan eyes aid for emergency helicopter pilot training costs
More than 1,000 hours of flight experience is required to become a captain of a firefighting and disaster relief helicopter or a medical helicopter.
Bereaved family members offer prayers on Friday at the site where their home once stood in the city of Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, before a mudslide disaster took place in 2021.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 3, 2026
Families mourn victims of 2021 Atami mudslide
On July 3, 2021, heavy rain triggered a mudslide involving some 55,500 cubic meters of earth and sand, which destroyed over a hundred houses and other buildings, killing 28 people.
Collapsed walls in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, early Saturday following an earthquake
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 29, 2026
Cabinet Office refreshes guidelines for municipalities to prepare for major quakes
The new standards clarify methods for estimating the number of first-aid staff and ambulances needed for relief operations.
Participants in Finland¡¯s National Defense Course gain access to military facilities, information and demonstrations that few Finns ever see.
WORLD
Jun 25, 2026
Finland¡¯s secretive training course prepares its elite for war
Participants attend classified briefings and visit strategic facilities as well as government sites normally closed to the public over a period of three to four weeks.
Removing the limit on simultaneous drone use by one person is aimed at optimizing logistics and infrastructure inspections, and at making damage assessment and search operations more effective during disasters.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 22, 2026
Japan lifts upper limit on drones operated by one pilot
Removing the limit is aimed at optimizing logistics and infrastructure inspections, and at making damage assessment and search operations more effective during disasters.
Japan's revised earthquake preparedness plan targets reducing projected deaths and building losses to half or less of the latest estimates released in December 2025 for a potential major quake beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 12, 2026
Japan revises megaquake preparation plan for Tokyo area
The government intends to reduce the number of deaths and the number of buildings destroyed or burned down due to an earthquake to at least half of the latest estimates.
The arrival of the rainy season in the Kanto-Koshin region, which includes the Tokyo metropolitan area, is about the same time as the average year and one day later than usual for the central Tokai region
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 7, 2026
Rainy season begins in Kanto and central Japan
The arrival of the rainy season in the Kanto-Koshin region, which includes the Tokyo metropolitan area, is about the same time as the average year.
The government is aiming to take measures over the next decade to reduce potential damage in the event a major earthquake occurs directly beneath Tokyo.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 5, 2026
Japan sets target to significantly reduce damage from a Tokyo inland quake
The government will undertake measures over the next decade to reduce by more than half the estimated number of deaths and destroyed buildings due to such a quake.
The Yaima Maru ferry, which will operate between Taiwan and Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture, is docked in Keelung, Taiwan, Thursday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 28, 2026
New Taiwan-Japan ferry service debuts on ship that has war evacuation role
The Yaima Maru is among vessels to be used to evacuate residents on southern Japanese islands to mainland Japan in times of crisis.
Japan's improved weather warning system, rolled out ahead of the rainy season, features five alert levels for flooding, heavy rain, landslides and storm surges.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 28, 2026
Japan rolls out revamped weather warning system ahead of rainy season
The improved system features five alert levels for flooding, heavy rain, landslides and storm surges.
A new disaster management agency, to be placed directly under the Cabinet, will draw up basic disaster management policy and coordinate responses to large-scale calamities.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
May 19, 2026
Japan Lower House passes bill to create disaster management agency
The bill is expected to be enacted during the current parliamentary session, with the government aiming to set up the agency this autumn.
A conceptual image of a FamilyMart convenience store offering emergency information on electronic displays usually used for advertising
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Convenience store operators work to have their stores act as disaster hubs
By leveraging their nationwide store networks, convenience store operators are working to provide free access to communications services and electricity in times of emergency.
Keiji Furuya (center rear), chair of the House of Representatives¡¯ Commission on the Constitution, attends a meeting of senior committee members at parliament on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
May 13, 2026
Draft of emergency clause for Constitution includes extending lawmakers¡¯ terms
The draft did not show an upper limit for how long lawmakers¡¯ terms can be extended, while stating there are opinions calling for setting it to ¡°one year¡± or ¡°six months.¡±
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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