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Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo
The Yomiuri Shimbun
20:00 JST, April 10, 2025
Although not designated as emergency temporary evacuation facilities, there are 1,845 underground facilities in Japan that can be used for evacuation which would provide twice as much evacuation area as the current space if utilized, according to the first government survey on shelters used as emergency evacuation sites released on Wednesday.
As of April 2024, there were 58,589 emergency temporary evacuation facilities designated by prefectures nationwide, of which 3,926 were underground facilities. The underground facilities that are not designated as evacuation facilities include government and municipal buildings, as well as commercial facilities and parking areas. These undesignated facilities have a total area of at least 4 million square meters, which is almost the same as the total area of designated underground facilities.
Of the designated underground facilities, 61% were equipped with ceilings at least 30 centimeters thick to withstand missile attacks. Including above-ground facilities, 57% were stocked with food.
Based on the survey results, the government will compile a development policy by the end of this fiscal year that defines functions required for shelters and promote the designation of further facilities and the upgrading of equipment.
