[Provisional translation]
On November 2, 2026, Prime Minister Takaichi unveiled the signboard of the Disaster Management Agency, attended its inauguration ceremony, and delivered an address.
In her address, the Prime Minister said as follows:
(Prime Minister Takaichi)
Thank you all for your hard work.
Thank you all for your hard work.
Today marks the establishment of the Disaster Management Agency.
It is very reassuring to be able to take this new step together with all of you gathered here today, including Minister Hosono, State Minister Kaneko, and Parliamentary Vice-Minister Onishi.
Protecting the lives and livelihoods of the Japanese people is one of the most important responsibilities of the state.
Japan has experienced numerous disasters, which have claimed many precious lives.
With the threat of disasters such as a Nankai Trough earthquake becoming increasingly imminent, while we cannot prevent natural disasters themselves, we can reduce the damage they cause through advance preparedness.
Building a disaster-resilient nation through disaster prevention and mitigation is precisely what it means to make the Japanese archipelago stronger and more prosperous.
I expect all of you at the Disaster Management Agency to take responsibility for seamless disaster management administration as the central command body for disaster response, overseeing the entire process from preparedness in ordinary times, including advance disaster prevention measures, to initial responses when disasters strike, the establishment of evacuation shelters and the provision of supplies, and recovery and reconstruction.
As a strong central command body, I ask you to mobilize the relevant ministries and agencies, without overlooking risks specific to individual regions, the barriers between ministries and agencies, or gaps in disaster preparedness and response measures.
Think through every possible scenario so that nothing is left unforeseen, and make and implement the necessary decisions without hesitation.
In disaster response, a delay of even a minute or a second can mean the difference between life and death for the Japanese people.
As the linchpin of a whole-of-government disaster response, I ask you to continuously strengthen your disaster response capabilities while maintaining close coordination with relevant organizations in ordinary times.
There are people waiting for assistance at the other end of your work.
In addition to fundamentally improving conditions at evacuation shelters, I ask you to serve as a one-stop point of contact and provide continuous, hands-on support to disaster-affected communities through recovery and reconstruction.
Of course, disaster management is not something that the national government can accomplish alone.
I ask you to serve as a central coordinating body bringing together industry, academia, government, and civil society, and further accelerate collaboration with businesses, universities, nonprofit organizations, volunteers, and others.
Japan's disaster management technologies and experience are also assets of which we can be proud before the world.
I ask you to advance initiatives to turn the disaster management industry into a driver of growth and to expand the global reach of Japan's expertise, products, services, and infrastructure.
A disaster could strike at this very moment.
We must protect the lives and livelihoods of the Japanese people. To achieve this, we will make no compromises whatsoever.
With this determination, let us work together with all our strength toward making Japan the world's leading nation in disaster management.
I look forward to working with you all. Thank you very much.