April 15,16 & 17, 2026
A bill to establish a “disaster management agency” headed by the Prime Minister is currently under discussion in the Diet. The agency is intended to assist the Cabinet with disaster prevention, emergency response, and recovery and reconstruction efforts. It is scheduled to launch in November.
Japan is an archipelago frequently hit by natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, torrential rain, and heavy snowfall. Any region could be affected by a disaster at any time. Therefore, in addition to support from the national government, it is essential to significantly increase the number of local government employees who can serve as pillars of support for their communities in the event of a disaster.
However, 433 local municipalities currently have no employees specializing in disaster prevention. To ensure the effectiveness of the proposed disaster management agency, the government should abandon its policy of reducing the number of public servants and allocate the necessary funds to disaster prevention, rather than increase military spending.
The national government has submitted a bill to the Diet that would facilitate the mobilization of national and local government employees as Self-Defense Force reserve personnel. The Japan Federation of Prefectural and Municipal Workers’ Unions (Jichiroren) and the Japan Federation of National Public Service Employees’ Unions (Kokkororen) issued statements on April 13 and April 15, respectively, firmly opposing the bill on the grounds that it would hinder the performance of their primary duties, including disaster response.
Past related article:
> Gov’t proposed bill criticized as first step toward introducing military-draft system [April 8, 2026]
Japan is an archipelago frequently hit by natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, torrential rain, and heavy snowfall. Any region could be affected by a disaster at any time. Therefore, in addition to support from the national government, it is essential to significantly increase the number of local government employees who can serve as pillars of support for their communities in the event of a disaster.
However, 433 local municipalities currently have no employees specializing in disaster prevention. To ensure the effectiveness of the proposed disaster management agency, the government should abandon its policy of reducing the number of public servants and allocate the necessary funds to disaster prevention, rather than increase military spending.
The national government has submitted a bill to the Diet that would facilitate the mobilization of national and local government employees as Self-Defense Force reserve personnel. The Japan Federation of Prefectural and Municipal Workers’ Unions (Jichiroren) and the Japan Federation of National Public Service Employees’ Unions (Kokkororen) issued statements on April 13 and April 15, respectively, firmly opposing the bill on the grounds that it would hinder the performance of their primary duties, including disaster response.
Past related article:
> Gov’t proposed bill criticized as first step toward introducing military-draft system [April 8, 2026]
