Policy Study on Improving the Safety of Buildings in Disaster Risk Areas

The disaster risk area designation was created when the Building Standard Law was enacted in 1950, and so far more than 22, 000 areas have received the designation. Assistance programs for reloca-tion to a non-designated area are available, but a large number of buildings, residential or otherwise, still remain in designated areas. This study aims to explore possible future policies for disaster risk areas by conducting a systematic review of past debates on the issue using the Diet records; an overview of past designations based on the survey conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; and a cross-sectional analysis of present prohibitions and restrictions on buildings imposed by the respective municipal and/or prefectural ordinances relative to the type of hazard identified for the designation. The study also includes a survey of the actual measures to promote renovation in disaster risk areas with the objective of upgrading the safety of buildings therein.