Disaster prevention budget Japan FY 2014-2023
In the fiscal year 2022, the disaster prevention budget in Japan amounted to over one trillion Japanese yen, marking it the highest within the past decade. The initial budget was estimated at around 643.8 billion yen for fiscal year 2023.
Disaster-related cost in Japan
Japan’s geography along the Ring of Fire makes it highly prone to natural disasters, resulting in consistently high costs from disaster-related damage. In recent years, the majority of costs for damaged facilities were caused by heavy rain and typhoons, followed by earthquakes. Consequently, the Japanese government's disaster risk management budget was mainly dedicated to disaster reconstruction, closely followed by disaster prevention. Disaster prevention prioritizes both hard measures, like building levees and enhancing earthquake-resistant structures, as well as soft measures, such as hazard mapping and disaster education, are prioritized.
Impacts of global warming in Japan
Climate change can intensify natural disasters, as global warming leads to rising temperatures, higher sea levels, and more intense rainfall and droughts. In Japan, more frequent heavy rains and typhoons increasingly cause significant social and economic damage: Next to a growing number of health-related issues and deaths due to heat waves, the warmer temperatures and floods also cause damage in the agricultural sector by inhibiting crop growth.
To address these climate-related disasters, the government is working on further strengthening its disaster prevention infrastructure and early warning systems for heavy rain, encouraging swift evacuation and preventive actions for residents. Furthermore, Japan is working on increasing its share of carbon-neutral energy sources such as renewables and nuclear energy to reduce its carbon footprint.
