The government on Friday decided it would aim to restore the gutted Shuri Castle in Okinawa by 2026, with full-fledged reconstruction to begin in 2022.
The government aims to enhance fire-prevention measures by installing sprinklers, previously missing at the castle, and automatic fire-detector alarms. Structural systems will also be improved to allow fires to be extinguished at an early stage.
The main buildings of the castle, a symbol of the island prefecture and part of a World Heritage site, were destroyed in a fire on Oct. 31. The blaze is suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault.