Seismic capacity unchecked for half of housing in Japan, says survey

January 28, 2018

Tokyo- More than half of housing in Japan have not undergone seismic capacity assessments, a Cabinet Office survey suggested on Saturday.

According to the survey, 51.5 pct of the respondents said they have not received seismic diagnoses for their homes.

"We'll keep the survey results in mind," a Cabinet Office official said. The government upholds a target of largely resolving the issue of housing with inadequate seismic capacities by 2025.

In the survey on preparation for and responses to disasters, conducted between Nov. 16 and 26 last year, 3,000 people aged 18 or over were individually interviewed. Of them, 61.3 pct gave valid responses.

Asked about preparations for major earthquakes, 46.1 pct of the respondents, the largest group, said that they have bought quake insurance policies covering their homes and household furnishings.

To the same question, 45.7 pct said they keep stocks of food, water and daily necessities, while 43.3 pct said they have flashlights in case of blackouts. Jiji Press