Japan launches new national agency to strengthen disaster preparedness

Summary

Japan launched a new national agency focused on disaster management on Monday, November 2, 2026. The National Disaster Management Agency, with more than 350 workers, will oversee preparedness, emergency response and reconstruction, with the aim of readiness for a megaquake along the Pacific coast or in Tokyo, or an eruption of Mount Fuji. According to the South China Morning Post, the agency is not being created in anticipation of any specific calamity but is meant to fill a gap. Goshi Hosono, the agency's first chief, said according to The Japan Times that there are limits to what the government can do in the event of a massive disaster, so the public also needs to prepare.

Timeline

1. South China Morning Post

   2 Nov 2026, 10:47 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Japan launched a new national disaster management agency on Monday, with more than 350 workers, to prepare for a megaquake, an eruption of Mount Fuji or other emergencies, and that it is meant to fill a gap rather than respond to a specific calamity.

2. The Japan Times

   2 Nov 2026, 10:59 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Goshi Hosono, the first chief of the new agency, noted that there are limits to what the government can do in the event of a massive disaster.