Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� April, 2002

The Fourth Meeting of the Central Disaster Prevention Council Tuesday, April 23, 2002 The Fourth Meeting of the Central Disaster Prevention Council was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. In his opening address, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi stated, "Be prepared and have no regrets. Crisis management is the core element in responding to large-scale disasters. Moreover, it is the fundamental duty of the Government to response to such disasters. Even now, when a review of public works projects is underway, I firmly believe that disaster prevention is a matter of great importance, given that it impacts directly on the lives of the people. At the same time, it is indeed essential to use the strength and wisdom of the private-sector through cooperation with volunteers and non-profit organizations (NPOs), and I call upon this Council to give full consideration to how that can be achieved." At the meeting, in response to the previous report from the Expert Committee on Tokai Earthquakes on the results of its examinations, including the fact that the area of expected earthquake damage by a Tokai earthquake was being expanded westward, the Committee recommended that the current scope of the designation of six prefectures and 167 municipalities based on the areas under intensified measures against earthquake disaster for a Tokai earthquake should be expanded to eight prefectures and 263 municipalities. Furthermore, revisions of the storm and flood disaster countermeasures section and the nuclear disaster countermeasures section of the Basic Plan for Disaster Prevention were made in light of the September 1999 damage from high tides in and around Shiranuhi-machi, Kumamoto Prefecture, and the accident at the uranium-processing plant in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture that occurred in the same month. In addition, a decision was taken on the "Basic Policy for Future Earthquake Disaster Countermeasures" and the 2002 General Principles Relating to the Comprehensive Drill for Disaster Prevention.