Overview
- The new Disaster Agency began operations on Monday, November 2, with Hosono Goshi named as the inaugural Disaster Minister who will also keep his reconstruction portfolio.
- The agency replaces and expands the Cabinet Office disaster unit into a 352-person body organized into four bureaus to cover policy, crisis response, regional disaster work and overall coordination.
- The government issued an initial public emergency request urging citizens, local governments and ministries to strengthen preparedness and stockpiles as the agency takes on day-to-day command duties.
- Planned next steps include picking locations for multiple regional 'Disaster Bureaus' by summer 2027 and opening them by July 2028 while driving roughly 2.6 trillion yen in public–private investment for disaster technology over five years.
- Experts and shelter practitioners say the agency’s impact will depend on concrete operational rules and capacity on the ground, such as national shelter standards like the proposed TKB48, last-mile supply systems, and a dedicated training and research school for disaster specialists.