Many regions eager to host branches of upcoming disaster agency
Many prefectures and cities in Japan are eager to host regional branches of the national government's envisioned disaster management agency, a signature project of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, according to a recent survey by Jiji Press.
The survey, which was conducted this month, covered all 47 prefectures as well as municipal governments and other bodies, with the number of entities keen to invite such branches totaling 28.
By Friday, 13 prefectures, 10 cities and the Union of Kansai Governments had submitted their requests to the central government. The city of Nagoya plans to make a similar request next month.
The governors of Gunma and Mie prefectures, as well as the mayor of Fukushima have also voiced interest in hosting branch offices of the disaster management agency.
Among the potential hosts, Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture and Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture highlighted in their respective bids their experiences of dealing with the aftermath of the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that hit both prefectures and other parts of the Tohoku region hard.
Ishikawa Prefecture and the city of Komatsu, located along the Sea of Japan, have both picked as a candidate site an area near Komatsu Airport, which they expect would be able to serve as a key base for the transportation of relief goods in the event of a powerful earthquake and tsunami occurring in the Nankai Trough off the Pacific coast of Japan. Ishikawa suffered heavy damage from a giant quake that struck on Jan. 1, 2024.
Kochi Prefecture, which is highly likely to be affected by a possible Nankai Trough disaster, proposed that a department be set up in the prefecture for the planned agency to offer support to local governments making advance preparations for community rebuilding in the event of a large-scale disaster.
The Union of Kansai Governments, made up of the six prefectures in the Kansai region along with two nearby prefectures and four major cities in Kansai, proposes that the central government establish a disaster management hub in not just the Tokyo metropolitan area but also the Kansai region.
Hyogo Prefecture and its capital, Kobe, have jointly asked for the Kansai hub to be established in or around Kobe, based on the lessons learned from a major earthquake that devastated the city and its surrounding areas in January 1995.
As part of requests to help reduce the overconcentration of national administrative functions in Tokyo, Nagano and Okayama prefectures respectively called for some central government agencies and ministries to be relocated to other parts of the country. They also requested that the national government establish the disaster management agency outside of Tokyo.
The central government aims to launch the agency in fiscal 2026.
Expectations for hosting disaster management agency branches ballooned among local governments after Ishiba said last December that the idea of establishing regional branches ought to be explored.
On June 6, Ishiba instructed his government staff to accelerate discussions toward setting up such branches.
Last Thursday, Ryosei Akazawa, the minister in charge of preparations for launching the new agency, showed a plan to draw up criteria for selecting venues for regional branches.
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Many regions eager to host branches of upcoming disaster agency
Many prefectures and cities in Japan are eager to host regional branches of the national government's envisioned disaster management agency, a signature project of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, according to a recent survey by Jiji Press. The survey, which was conducted this month, covered all 47 prefectures as well as municipal governments and other bodies, with the number of entities keen to invite such branches totaling 28. By Friday, 13 prefectures, 10 cities and the Union of Kansai Governments had submitted their requests to the central government. The city of Nagoya plans to make a similar request next month. The governors of Gunma and Mie prefectures, as well as the mayor of Fukushima have also voiced interest in hosting branch offices of the disaster management agency. Among the potential hosts, Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture and Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture highlighted in their respective bids their experiences of dealing with the aftermath of the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that hit both prefectures and other parts of the Tohoku region hard. Ishikawa Prefecture and the city of Komatsu, located along the Sea of Japan, have both picked as a candidate site an area near Komatsu Airport, which they expect would be able to serve as a key base for the transportation of relief goods in the event of a powerful earthquake and tsunami occurring in the Nankai Trough off the Pacific coast of Japan. Ishikawa suffered heavy damage from a giant quake that struck on Jan. 1, 2024. Kochi Prefecture, which is highly likely to be affected by a possible Nankai Trough disaster, proposed that a department be set up in the prefecture for the planned agency to offer support to local governments making advance preparations for community rebuilding in the event of a large-scale disaster. The Union of Kansai Governments, made up of the six prefectures in the Kansai region along with two nearby prefectures and four major cities in Kansai, proposes that the central government establish a disaster management hub in not just the Tokyo metropolitan area but also the Kansai region. Hyogo Prefecture and its capital, Kobe, have jointly asked for the Kansai hub to be established in or around Kobe, based on the lessons learned from a major earthquake that devastated the city and its surrounding areas in January 1995. As part of requests to help reduce the overconcentration of national administrative functions in Tokyo, Nagano and Okayama prefectures respectively called for some central government agencies and ministries to be relocated to other parts of the country. They also requested that the national government establish the disaster management agency outside of Tokyo. The central government aims to launch the agency in fiscal 2026. Expectations for hosting disaster management agency branches ballooned among local governments after Ishiba said last December that the idea of establishing regional branches ought to be explored. On June 6, Ishiba instructed his government staff to accelerate discussions toward setting up such branches. Last Thursday, Ryosei Akazawa, the minister in charge of preparations for launching the new agency, showed a plan to draw up criteria for selecting venues for regional branches.
