Disaster Management Minister Hosono indicated that the government would consider locations nationwide for the Disaster Management Bureau, a regional body of the Disaster Management Agency, and confirmed the recovery progress in disaster-affected areas during an inspection in Kumamoto City.
The government is considering an establishment policy in anticipation of major earthquakes, including those along the Nankai Trough and the Japan Trench and Kuril Trench. It emphasized the role of the Disaster Management Bureau in enabling the Disaster Management Agency to serve as a command center in each region. It avoided commenting on specific locations or the number of offices, indicating that it would develop systems tailored to each region.
During an inspection that day of areas affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake, Mr. Hosono inspected the site of collapsed bridge girders on the Minami-Kyushu Expressway and the recovery of agricultural facilities. He indicated that the Disaster Management Agency should encourage the efforts of each ministry and agency to complete recovery and reconstruction.
Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura requested that a Disaster Management Bureau office be established in the prefecture. This was the first inspection of a disaster-affected area since the Disaster Management Agency was launched and could influence the formulation of its future establishment policy.
In interviews after the inspection, Mr. Hosono indicated that establishing regional bodies would strengthen their function as nationwide command centers for disaster response, but avoided specifying the timing or number of locations. The government also reiterated its policy of seeking to centralize disaster-response measures through nationwide deployment of the Disaster Management Bureau.