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June 22, 2026
 

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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Removing the limit on simultaneous drone use by one person is aimed at optimizing logistics and infrastructure inspections, and at making damage assessment and search operations more effective during disasters.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2026
Japan lifts upper limit on drones operated by one pilot
Removing the limit is aimed at optimizing logistics and infrastructure inspections, and at making damage assessment and search operations more effective during disasters.
Japan's revised earthquake preparedness plan targets reducing projected deaths and building losses to half or less of the latest estimates released in December 2025 for a potential major quake beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2026
Japan revises megaquake preparation plan for Tokyo area
The government intends to reduce the number of deaths and the number of buildings destroyed or burned down due to an earthquake to at least half of the latest estimates.
The arrival of the rainy season in the Kanto-Koshin region, which includes the Tokyo metropolitan area, is about the same time as the average year and one day later than usual for the central Tokai region
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2026
Rainy season begins in Kanto and central Japan
The arrival of the rainy season in the Kanto-Koshin region, which includes the Tokyo metropolitan area, is about the same time as the average year.
The government is aiming to take measures over the next decade to reduce potential damage in the event a major earthquake occurs directly beneath Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2026
Japan sets target to significantly reduce damage from a Tokyo inland quake
The government will undertake measures over the next decade to reduce by more than half the estimated number of deaths and destroyed buildings due to such a quake.
The Yaima Maru ferry, which will operate between Taiwan and Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture, is docked in Keelung, Taiwan, Thursday.
JAPAN
May 28, 2026
New Taiwan-Japan ferry service debuts on ship that has war evacuation role
The Yaima Maru is among vessels to be used to evacuate residents on southern Japanese islands to mainland Japan in times of crisis.
Japan's improved weather warning system, rolled out ahead of the rainy season, features five alert levels for flooding, heavy rain, landslides and storm surges.
JAPAN
May 28, 2026
Japan rolls out revamped weather warning system ahead of rainy season
The improved system features five alert levels for flooding, heavy rain, landslides and storm surges.
A new disaster management agency, to be placed directly under the Cabinet, will draw up basic disaster management policy and coordinate responses to large-scale calamities.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2026
Japan Lower House passes bill to create disaster management agency
The bill is expected to be enacted during the current parliamentary session, with the government aiming to set up the agency this autumn.
A conceptual image of a FamilyMart convenience store offering emergency information on electronic displays usually used for advertising
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Convenience store operators work to have their stores act as disaster hubs
By leveraging their nationwide store networks, convenience store operators are working to provide free access to communications services and electricity in times of emergency.
Keiji Furuya (center rear), chair of the House of Representatives¡¯ Commission on the Constitution, attends a meeting of senior committee members at parliament on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 13, 2026
Draft of emergency clause for Constitution includes extending lawmakers¡¯ terms
The draft did not show an upper limit for how long lawmakers¡¯ terms can be extended, while stating there are opinions calling for setting it to ¡°one year¡± or ¡°six months.¡±
The welfare ministry hopes to establish a system so people can apply for special welfare loans only using their My Number card information for identity verification.
JAPAN / Society
May 4, 2026
Japan eyes going digital for emergency welfare loan applications
The welfare ministry expects the digitalization will partially begin in fiscal 2028 to allow households in financial distress to apply quickly via smartphones instead of in person.
Tsunami barriers on the beach in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2026
Japan lifts advisory a week after magnitude 7.7 quake
A Cabinet Office official cautioned that ¡°this does not mean the possibility of a major quake has disappeared.¡±
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake, measuring an upper 5 on Japan¡¯s seismic intensity scale, struck Hokkaido before 5:30 a.m. on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2026
Magnitude 6.2 quake shakes Hokkaido
While no tsunami alert was issued, the quake came less than a week after Japan issued a special advisory warning of the increased risk of a megaquake.
Sendai Station is crowded with people Monday after the Tohoku shinkansen line suspended operation following a powerful earthquake off the Sanriku coast.
JAPAN / Explainer
Apr 21, 2026
How to prepare when Japan is under an earthquake advisory
Authorities in Japan are urging residents from Hokkaido to Chiba Prefecture to be ready in case a major earthquake strikes, following Monday¡¯s magnitude 7.7 jolt.
An electronic board displays a subsequent earthquake advisory in Iwate Prefecture on Tuesday, a day after a magnitude 7.7 temblor struck off the Tohoku coast.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Apr 21, 2026
Why did a big earthquake strike the Tohoku region again?
Monday¡¯s temblor struck off the coast of the Tohoku region, which experienced the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
An official from the Japan Meteorological Agency speaks about the powerful quake that hit northern Japan at a news conference in Tokyo Monday evening.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2026
Japan issues rare special advisory over chance of more powerful quake
The government issued the advisory to residents of 182 municipalities from Hokkaido to Chiba, urging them to be ready to evacuate at any moment.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings resumed commercial operations of reactor No. 6 at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2026
Tepco resumes commercial operations at Niigata plant for first time in 14 years
The restart of reactor No. 6 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant comes roughly 50 days later than scheduled.
The disaster management agency, which would serve as the government¡¯s command center for disaster prevention and response, will be created through the reorganization and strengthening of the Cabinet Office¡¯s disaster management division.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2026
Parliament begins debate on bill to create disaster management agency
The new agency, aimed to be launched this autumn with its headquarters in Tokyo, would serve as the government¡¯s command center for disaster prevention and response.
Shunichi Koshimura, director of Tohoku University's International Research Institute of Disaster Science, speaks during a news conference in Sendai on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2026
Tohoku University and SoftBank to develop disaster prevention AI tech
The joint project aims to use generative artificial intelligence to pass on memories and lessons from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
A woman walks on a beach against the backdrop of Japan Coast Guard ships docked at a port in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, in January.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2026
First field evacuation drill planned for remote Okinawan islands
The January drill will include both tabletop exercises and field training, according to a government report.
If the timeline for constructing an anti-terrorism facility is eased, the No. 6 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture is expected to see their deadline delayed to April 2031 from September 2029.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2026
Japan eases timeline for creating nuclear plant anti-terrorism facilities
Out of the 12 reactors across the nation for which anti-terrorism facilities have been completed, only one met the deadline.
Japan to raise visa fees for foreign nationals in first revision in 48 years
Tourists from abroad wearing kimonos pose for a souvenir photo with cherry blossoms in the city of Kyoto in March.
Japan to allow local governments to ban private lodging
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in March. Various cities around the world have cracked down on private lodgings, such as in Barcelona where the city is attempting to eradicate all short-stay apartments by 2028.
Beyond crabs and dinos: Japan¡¯s least-touristed region rethinks its appeal
Fukui Prefecture is home to 80% of Japan¡¯s dinosaur fossil discoveries, yet it is routinely one of the least-visited regions in the country.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.
Japanese mother sues state over teen¡¯s ¡®hostage justice¡¯ death
A lawyer representing the mother (left, blurred for privacy reasons) of a girl who died after being detained speaks during a news conference in Kobe on Wednesday.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.
Distracted walkers in Japan are a real safety risk. My mother knows firsthand.
In Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, <i>aruki-sumaho</i> ¡ª walking while using a smartphone ¡ª has become a persistent safety concern as commuters navigate crowded stations and sidewalks while focused on their devices.
Japan¡¯s World Cup picture comes into focus after rout of Tunisia
Japan&#039;s Ko Itakura clears the ball during the first half against Tunisia during a Group F match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday.
Can automation offset Japan¡¯s military manpower shortage?
A Ground Self-Defense Force uncrewed ground vehicle takes part in a live-fire military exercise at the Higashi Fuji Training Field in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 7.
Heading into its second year, AUBL aims to get Japan more involved
Hakuoh University&#039;s Rento Saito attempts a shot during an Asian University Basketball League contest.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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