Overview

• Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba convened a July 2 cabinet meeting to accelerate tsunami barrier and evacuation shelter projects.
• Authorities will fast-track construction of sea walls and roll out emergency shelters along high-risk coastal zones.
• Residents on the Tokara Islands have endured over 900 tremors in 11 days, heightening public and official alarm.
• A January government panel placed the likelihood of a major Nankai Trough quake in the next 30 years at 75–82 percent, and March projections warned of up to 298,000 deaths from a quake-triggered tsunami.
• Ishiba urged national agencies, local authorities, businesses and NGOs to coordinate efforts to save as many lives as possible.