A cross-party group of lawmakers asked disaster management minister Go Hosono on Wednesday to back changes to the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act and related laws in response to the July Kumamoto earthquake. The group, chaired by former reconstruction minister Shinako Tsuchiya, set out the framework of a proposed amendment and said it should set a goal of securing enough food and beds at every shelter within 48 hours of a disaster.
Under the framework, the central government would set a "minimum standard" for shelter conditions and help municipalities with the cost of stockpiling and transporting supplies. It also calls for a system that lets municipalities outside the disaster area and private companies run shelters.
The group cited shelters in the Kumamoto earthquake where installing beds took about a week, and told the government the time needed to be shortened.
Shelter conditions
The proposal turns on how quickly survivors get basic conditions, rather than only whether they get a roof. The 48-hour figure would apply to food and beds in every shelter, not just those opened first.
The group did not say when it would submit a bill or what the minimum standard would contain.