Disaster Prevention Agency launched on the 2nd as a control tower during large-scale disasters - from peacetime to recovery and reconstruction

The Disaster Prevention Agency, which serves as the government's control tower for disaster prevention and response, was established on the 2nd. The Prime Minister will head the organization, and Goji Hosono, the minister in charge of disaster prevention, will be appointed as the first disaster prevention minister. Amid concerns about large-scale disasters such as an earthquake directly hitting the Tokyo metropolitan area, a Nankai Trough earthquake, or the eruption of Mt. Fuji, the Cabinet Office's disaster prevention department will be reorganized to strengthen its budget and personnel structure. We provide comprehensive support from preparations during normal times to support for disaster victims and recovery and reconstruction when disasters occur.

The Minister of Disaster Prevention will be given the power to make recommendations to each government agency, and each government agency will be obligated to respect the recommendations. We will create a system in which the government will work together on disaster prevention measures, and we will take every possible measure to respond to mega-earthquakes.

The agency will be an organization under the direct control of the Cabinet and will have a staff of 352 people. Develops basic policies for disaster prevention measures, as well as formulates and comprehensively coordinates plans for dealing with large-scale disasters. It is comprised of four departments: ``Disaster Situation Response,'' which handles disaster response, training, and human resource development; ``Disaster Prevention Planning,'' which prepares for disasters and develops damage mitigation measures; ``Local Disaster Prevention,'' which deals with disaster victim support and disaster prevention education; and ``Comprehensive Policy,'' which handles budgeting and public relations.

The plan is to decide on the location of the Disaster Prevention Bureau, a local agency designed to respond to Nankai Trough earthquakes and Japan Trench/Chishima Trench earthquakes, in the summer of 2027. The government is receiving a number of requests from local governments across the country to host the project, which is expected to be responsible for promoting advance disaster prevention and creating a support system for disaster-stricken areas in the event of a disaster. The government will also consider establishing a Disaster Prevention College (tentative name), an institution that conducts training and research to develop disaster prevention personnel.