Japanese Govt to Estimate Cost of Underground Shelters for Missile Attacks, Other Emergencies

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:37 JST, July 11, 2025

The central government will estimate the cost for an evacuation shelter modeled after one currently being designed by the Tokyo metropolitan government, with an aim to make such facilities widespread in preparation for such emergencies as a missile attack.

It will compile a summary of costs and construction schedules for each facility, which will be reflected in the guidelines on shelter development for municipalities and private-sector businesses to be formulated by March 2026.

The Tokyo government will construct the underground shelter within the precincts of the Toei Oedo subway line’s Azabu-juban Station in Minato Ward, by converting its 1,400-square-meter 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 supplies as well as ventilation systems in anticipation of nuclear, biological and chemical attacks.

The central government will obtain information from Tokyo on the cost and construction schedule required for reinforcing the shelter and then come up with the costs of procuring equipment and stockpiled supplies when making a similar shelter.

Since the budgets for constructing shelters vary among municipalities and private companies, the central government will use that information to provide an estimated budget and construction schedule depending on how durable each shelter needs to be to fulfill its expected purposes. The estimates will be included in the shelter development guidelines for reference.

Japan is pushing ahead with the construction of shelters as part of preparations for China’s military pressure on Taiwan and North Korea’s nuclear and missile developments.

These shelters are designated to protect people from the blast waves of missile strikes and to serve as evacuation sites during earthquakes and typhoons.

As of April 2024, prefectures have designated 58,589 shelters, of which 3,926 are underground.