TOKYO >> Japan’s central government will be sizing up the cost for evacuation shelters, modeled after a type being designed by the Tokyo metropolitan government, with an eye toward widespread development in preparation for emergencies such as a missile attack.
By March 2026, it will compile a summary of costs and construction schedules, which will be reflected in guidelines on shelter development for municipalities and private-sector businesses.
The Tokyo government will construct an underground shelter by converting its 1,400-square-meter (more than 15,000 square feet) emergency supplies warehouse into an emergency shelter for residents. It is expected to take several years to complete. The shelter will be equipped with emergency power supplies, communication devices, water and food as well as ventilation systems in anticipation of nuclear, biological and chemical attacks.
The central government will study the cost and construction schedule required for Tokyo’s project to come up with the costs of procuring equipment and stockpiled supplies for similar shelters.
Japan is pushing ahead with shelter construction in response to possible threats from China’s military pressure on Taiwan and North Korea’s nuclear and missile developments.
The shelters will be designed to protect people from the blast waves of missile strikes and to serve as evacuation sites during earthquakes and typhoons.
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As of April 2024, the country’s prefectures have designated 58,589 shelters, of which 3,926 are underground.
AloJapan.com