Parliament on Wednesday enacted legislation to strengthen disaster preparedness and relief measures.

In a plenary meeting, the House of Councilors, the upper parliamentary chamber, approved the legislation to revise relevant laws, including the basic law on disaster management, which was compiled based on lessons learned from the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024. It cleared the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, last month.

The legislation features the creation of a sub-Cabinet-level post at the Cabinet Office to oversee the country's overall disaster response and play a coordinating role between the central and local governments.

Also under the revised laws, a registration system will be established for nonprofit organizations and volunteer groups that provide support for those affected by a disaster. Groups registered with the central government will operate evacuation centers and serve food at the request of the prefectural governor and other authorities in times of disaster.

Identifying in normal times organizations that can engage in support activities is expected to ensure quick cooperation in the event of a disaster, and it will also be easier for local governments to accept support.

In order to respond to the diverse needs of disaster-affected people, the revised laws stipulate providing welfare services. This is intended to prevent disaster-related deaths, including by improving health care support for older adults who stay outside of evacuation centers, such as in their homes or cars, where support has been scarce.

To provide a comfortable evacuation environment from the early stages of a disaster, each municipality will be required to announce the status of its stockpiles of food, toilets, makeshift beds and other supplies once a year.