Overview
- The Cabinet approved the revised disaster-preparedness plan on Friday, June 12, 2026, setting a formal goal to cut projected fatalities and property losses from a Tokyo-area megaquake by at least half.
- The plan centers on preventing post-quake fires by pushing widespread installation of seismic circuit-breakers that automatically cut power during strong tremors to reduce electrical ignition.
- Officials aim to equip nearly all homes in Tokyo and nine surrounding prefectures with these circuit-breakers by the mid-2030s, with media reports putting the target around 2035–2036.
- Current adoption is low at about 20 percent of households in the region, creating an urgent public-engagement and logistics challenge highlighted by disaster minister Jiro Akama.
- Risk estimates used to justify the revision vary widely, from the Cabinet Office's worst-case projection of roughly 300,000 deaths and losses near half of GDP to much lower casualty figures in other models, leaving substantial uncertainty about the plan's exact impact.