Japanese Governors Vow to Lead Disaster Prevention Efforts

July 29, 2018

Sapporo- Prefectural governors from across Japan on Friday expressed their resolve to spearhead disaster prevention efforts to wrap up their two-day meeting in the northern city of Sapporo, Hokkaido.

The National Governors' Association needs to take the lead in preparing for massive disasters, the governors said in a joint declaration.

The Hokkaido declaration also said they will do everything they can to support areas hit by recent major disasters including torrential rains in western Japan earlier this month, while reviewing disaster responses by local authorities and sharing lessons learned from the review.

The governors agreed to meet in Toyama Prefecture next year.

The unscheduled declaration was drawn up to reflect active discussions on disaster prevention on the first day of the Sapporo meeting.

It urged the central government to establish a system to financially support preparations for postdisaster reconstruction, as well as to review existing guidelines for encouraging residents to evacuate in the event of a disaster.

On the thorny issue of correcting disparities in corporate tax revenues among local governments, the declaration called for giving consideration to the need to maintain or strengthen regional vitality.

Meanwhile, based on a report by a study group on the issue of burdens from U.S. military bases in Japan, the governors adopted a recommendation that the central government thoroughly review the Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement.

The governors demanded that aviation, environmental and other domestic laws be applied to U.S. forces, and that local authorities be allowed to enter U.S. bases during investigations of U.S. military-related accidents. Jiji Press