The government on Friday adopted an outline of its envisaged disaster management agency, including its organizational structure and operations.
With the aim of setting up the agency in 2026, the government will submit related legislation to next year¡¯s ordinary session of parliament, which convenes in January.
The new agency is expected to consider responses to potential major earthquakes in the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean off central to southwestern Japan, and the Japan and Kuril trenches off the Pacific coasts of northern to eastern Japan.
While it will be headed by the prime minister, a new minister in charge of the agency will be appointed.
The agency will be authorized to seek explanations from and make recommendations to other government agencies and ministries. The agencies and ministries will be obliged to respect such requests from the disaster management agency so that government organizations can work in unity to beef up disaster preparedness.
The government will also work to select locations to host the agency¡¯s regional branches, which will take charge of making preparations for the Nankai Trough and other potential megaquakes and setting up a support system once a disaster occurs.
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