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July 01, 2026
 

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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

A woman walks on a beach against the backdrop of Japan Coast Guard ships docked at a port in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, in January.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2026
First field evacuation drill planned for remote Okinawan islands
The January drill will include both tabletop exercises and field training, according to a government report.
If the timeline for constructing an anti-terrorism facility is eased, the No. 6 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture is expected to see their deadline delayed to April 2031 from September 2029.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2026
Japan eases timeline for creating nuclear plant anti-terrorism facilities
Out of the 12 reactors across the nation for which anti-terrorism facilities have been completed, only one met the deadline.
Japan Innovation Party policy chief Alex Saito (left) and Ichiro Miyashita, a Lower House member of the Liberal Democratic Party, speak to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 1, 2026
LDP and JIP agree to drop special ward requirement for secondary capital
The move opens up the role to prefectures other than just Osaka.
Mount Fuji seen from central Tokyo in February 2025. The government is discussing measures to deal with volcanic ash falling in the Tokyo metropolitan area in the event of an eruption.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2026
Cabinet Office and Tokyo government prepare for Mount Fuji eruption risk
Council members will discuss how to maintain the functions of railways, roads and communications networks, and how to secure goods transport systems.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends the House of Councilors plenary session at parliament on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2026
Japan to designate more underground emergency shelters
The government wants to make maximum use of underground spaces, which are safer, to protect people in case of military attacks.
Jin Sato, former mayor of the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture, speaks during an interview in December in front of the remains of the town's former disaster management office building.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 23, 2026
Jin Sato, former mayor of tsunami-hit Minamisanriku, shares lessons across Japan
Sato served as mayor of the town in Miyagi Prefecture for 20 years, but since stepping down in November has been delivering lectures on disaster preparedness and mitigation.
The new service starting April 1 that aims to keep communication infrastructure operational following emergencies such as disasters will be free to use and not require prior registration.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2026
Major phone carriers to launch ‘Japan Roaming’ for use in disasters
The aim of the new service is to ensure the communication infrastructure essential for life and economic activities remains operational during emergencies such as disasters.
Tadayuki Sato, representative director of the Phase Free Association, has introduced the "phase-free" concept in a bid to seamlessly integrate disaster preparedness with everyday life and business operations.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 19, 2026
‘Phase-free’ design builds disaster preparedness into everyday life
The Phase Free Association now operates a certification system for products that integrate disaster preparedness with everyday life and business operations.
Residents take part in a tsunami evacuation drill using an app to register their evacuation in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, in November 2025.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 12, 2026
Tohoku still faces tsunami evacuation challenges 15 years after disaster
The region is facing a series of challenges to prepare for any future tsunami evacuation, such as trying to encourage people to use an app to register at evacuation sites.
Children listen to stories of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami told by a local resident in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, in January.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 11, 2026
Some disaster-hit regions struggle to pass down lessons to younger generation
Logistics and costs are among the hurdles faced in conducting disaster education for younger people with little or no memory of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Koji Yamaguchi, a teacher at Rokko Gakuin Junior and Senior High School in Kobe, shows in January a picture of a beach in Shichigahama, Miyagi Prefecture, which was affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2026
Teacher in Japan who experienced two disasters works to pass down memories
The Kobe teacher’s central message to his students is the importance of “everyday life before the disaster.”
Members of the Self-Defense Forces search for missing people in the wake of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 10, 2026
Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake
The long-term consequences of disasters are often understudied once media attention shifts to newer crises elsewhere.
In a survey from the Japanese Red Cross Society, 80.3% of respondents said the Great East Japan Earthquake should not be forgotten when considering disaster preparedness measures and awareness.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 9, 2026
Over 80% in Japan believe a major disaster is coming in the near future
Many admit to being unprepared for one, however.
Takao Makino, the minister in charge of preparations for the establishment of Japan's disaster management agency, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 6, 2026
Cabinet approves bill to create disaster management agency
The government aims to launch the agency, which will be headed by the prime minister and also have a dedicated minister, in autumn.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai said during an interview in Sendai on Tuesday that he intends to have three seawalls finished before his current term ends in 2029.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Miyagi governor sees different challenges 15 years after Tohoku disaster
“When you get 15 years older, your health conditions and other circumstances change,” said the governor of Miyagi Prefecture, which was affected by the March 2011 disaster.
A well is set up next to Lawson's disaster response store in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 25, 2026
Starlink, phone chargers and rice balls: Lawson opens outlet ready to aid disaster response
The convenience store chain aims to increase the number of such stores to 100 across the country by fiscal 2030 to prepare for possible large-scale disasters.
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi. His company has come under scrutiny from regulators over falsified earthquake risk data at Hamaoka nuclear power plant.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2026
Authorities to launch inspection of Chubu Electric over data fraud
The Nuclear Regulation Authority will also halt screenings needed for reactivation of the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant.
Local governments have been asked to secure hotels as shelters during large-scale disasters.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2026
Prefectures asked to secure hotels as shelters in the event of disasters
Guidelines call on local officials, mainly at prefectural governments, to work to secure accommodation and match it with evacuees.
A Japanese government panel says the probability of a magnitude 7.8-8.5 earthquake occurring along the Chishima Trench off the city of Nemuro, Hokkaido, within the next 30 years has risen to about 90% from around 80%.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2026
Hokkaido megaquake probability rises to around 90%, says panel
The panel estimated the probability of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8-8.5 occurring along the Chishima Trench off the city of Nemuro in Hokkaido within 30 years.
Shinsekai, the renowned culinary district of Osaka. Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura has called for the creation of a secondary capital in prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 9, 2026
Race to become Japan’s secondary capital heats up
As the Japan Innovation Party works to get Osaka designated the country’s secondary capital, other municipalities are looking to muscle in.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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