Japan launches its disaster prevention agency
Japan’s disaster prevention agency began work on 2 November 2026. Under its founding law, it will coordinate ministries’ responses to major earthquakes and other disasters.
Goshi Hosono, also reconstruction minister, becomes the first minister overseeing its work. According to Kyodo, the agency is urging residents, local authorities and government departments to improve preparedness, including emergency supplies.
Its priorities include earthquake risks along the Nankai Trough, the Japan and Kuril trenches and in the Tokyo area. Regional offices are planned, with sites to be selected in summer 2027 and openings due by July 2028. Their local presence therefore remains a future step.