Overview
- Chunichi Shimbun reports the Cabinet Office earmarked ¥3.5 billion in the 2026 initial budget to fund municipal rewrites of disaster-prevention plans based on detailed damage and response simulations.
- The initiative targets concrete pre-disaster steps, including how to deploy rescue teams and secure medical care before a quake or flood tests local systems.
- The government plans to continue the work under a new Disaster Agency slated to launch this year and will send term-limited national staff, known as “furusato” disaster personnel, to help prefectures and city halls apply the models.
- In separate regional coverage, The Mainichi says former junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was chosen as Myanmar’s president, and a GRIPS professor argues the change is performative and unlikely to alter military rule due to a leadership reality gap and muted internal feedback.
- NHK reports the Tokyo Yakult Swallows won with a hit recorded by every starter, underscoring a strong early-season team offense.