The government convened a panel of experts on Wednesday to draft a new national resilience plan, with a focus on accelerating repairs and upgrades to water and sewer pipelines throughout Japan.

The move comes after a sinkhole appeared in the city of Yashio, Saitama Prefecture on Jan. 28, which is believed to have been caused by a damaged sewer pipe. As of Wednesday afternoon, a 74-year-old truck driver who was driving over the road when it collapsed remains trapped inside the 15-meter-deep hole.

The current five-year plan, set to conclude in fiscal 2025 that ends in March next year, allocates about ¥15 trillion ($97.9 billion) to infrastructure projects aimed at strengthening disaster resilience. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced in a Jan. 24 policy speech that the new plan, covering fiscal 2026 to 2030, will exceed that amount.

The government aims to finalize a draft proposal by March, outlining specific budget allocations and targets, and seek Cabinet approval around June. The plan will incorporate lessons from the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, including seismic upgrades for water infrastructure and improved evacuation center conditions.

The sinkhole in Yashio occurred on Jan. 28 at around 9:50 a.m., when the center of an intersection caved in. Authorities believe a ruptured sewer pipe beneath the site was responsible.

A 50-meter radius around the collapse remains under a safety advisory, with disruptions to daily life for those living nearby — and to 1.2 million people who are being asked to conserve water — expected to persist.

Efforts to stabilize the site have been hampered by flooding inside the hole. Crews have completed a slope to lower heavy machinery into the sinkhole to rescue the truck driver but have been unable to proceed due to standing water. Work has begun on a second slope, but a concrete waterway exposed along the hole's edge is complicating excavation efforts.

Translated by The Japan Times