Japan approves 20 trillion yen plan for disaster-resilient infrastructure

TOKYO: The Japanese government on Friday approved a plan to enhance the disaster resilience of the country’s infrastructure over the next five years, with the project expected to cost more than 20 trillion yen ($139 billion), Kyodo News reported.

Focusing on measures to address aging infrastructure, the plan specifies 326 measures to be taken by government bodies from fiscal 2026 through 2030, while regional authorities bear part of the costs.

The approval by the Cabinet comes in light of prolonged water outages following a powerful earthquake that devastated the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day in 2024, and the formation of a massive sinkhole in Yashio in Saitama Prefecture, neighboring Tokyo, which is believed to have been caused by sewer pipe corrosion.

Video of the aftermath of the earthquake that just hit Japan’s Noto peninsula, shared by someone who works for the Matsunami Sake brewery: pic.twitter.com/MyZYCfH444

— Jeffrey J. Hall Read More