Japan to Target More than Halving Damage from Tokyo Inland Quake

Tokyo, June 4 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government will set a new target of more than halving potential damage from a possible major earthquake directly beneath Tokyo, it was learned Thursday. According to a draft of its revised basic plan for emergency countermeasures, the government will aim to reduce the estimated number of deaths and destroyed or burned buildings by more than half over the next decade. The government will release the revised basic plan as early as this month. It will be the first revision since 2015. The current basic plan calls for roughly halving potential damage from a Tokyo inland earthquake. Last December, the government released its latest damage estimates, suggesting that the possible earthquake could kill up to around 18,000 people and fully destroy or burn about 400,000 buildings. To prevent fires following the quake, the revised plan will urge installing seismic circuit breakers, which automatically cut off power upon detecting tremors, in most potentially affected areas in Tokyo and nine other prefectures, instead of the current target of installing them in 25 pct of such areas. The revised plan will also call for eliminating houses with insufficient seismic adequacy. Additionally, it will include a goal for all large companies and 80 pct of midsize companies to have business continuity plans. To raise public awareness of disaster prevention, the government will seek to ensure that all households stockpile food for at least three days and secure furniture to prevent it from toppling. The draft also calls for supporting people returning home on foot following a major earthquake and preparing shelters for those who cannot return home. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]