Japan enjoys beautiful landscapes and four distinct seasons, but it is also a country that is prone to natural disasters that have major effects. In particular, record-breaking torrential rains and large-scale landslides have occurred recently. Last year, a super typhoon hit the Philippines with a maximum wind speed of 80 m/s, and it has been predicted that similar typhoons could strike Japan directly. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is a high probability that the amount of atmospheric water vapor will increase in the future by an average of 5 to 25%, and that extremely heavy rainfalls will occur frequently in many mid-latitude regions due to the increase of the average global temperature. How can we prepare for disasters caused by such abnormal weather in Japan?

The non-life insurance industry actively develops products and carries out disaster-prevention activities in response to changing trends of natural disasters. Climate change and natural disaster risks are modeled in collaboration with universities. Impact assessments are performed using climate models so that appropriate measures can be taken against floods caused by typhoons, torrential rain, and sudden rainstorms (localized torrential rain). In addition, studies on accurately measuring stream flow rates and other activities are conducted.

On the other hand, to mitigate damage caused by disasters, it is important to inform local residents about regional risks based on these studies and knowledge in ways that are easy to understand, and to help them take appropriate action in the event of an emergency by regularly offering adequate disaster-prevention training. It is also necessary to promote these disaster-prevention measures (i.e. non-hardware-related activities) by firmly positioning them as part of Abenomics' regional revitalization measures. In addition, because of tight national and municipal finances, it will be necessary to apply private-sector capital and ideas for hardware-related activities and for minimizing costs incurred by administrative bodies, making the best use of the business methodologies (e.g. PFI) of private-sector companies.

In March next year, the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction will be held in Sendai City. This will be a golden opportunity for Japan to send out a signal domestically and globally that it is a front-runner contributing in this field worldwide, through the extensive sharing of experience and expertise developed to date. Knowledge and technologies must be combined to show that Japan is an advanced country in the field of disaster prevention.