Risk Management Strategy
1 Purpose
To protect the component parts of the World Heritage property as well as the lives and theproperty of visitors and residents from disasters such as volcanic eruptions, storms, floods,
landslides, and fires.

2 Existing State
In its evaluation report, ICOMOS noted that there is no disaster plan for Fujisan. However,Yamanashi Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, and the relevant municipal governments did alreadyhave the “regional disaster prevention plan” when the nomiation dossier was submitted to the
UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This plan included disaster prevention, emergency disaster
response, recovery, and reconstruction, from the pre-disaster stage throught to the disaster andpost-disaster stages, to protect the lives and property of residents. The prefectures also conductdisaster prevention drills on an ongoing basis.
In addition to this “regional disaster prevention plan”, the Agency for Cultural Affairs has
established the “Disaster Prevention Plan the Cultural Properties”, which peratins to the culturalproperties constituting the World Heritage property. Shizuoka Prefecture and relevant municipal
governments within Yamanashi Prefecture, in coordination with Yamanashi Prefecture,additionally published the “Cultural Properties Disaster Prevention Manual”. Based on the Planand Manual, the relevant municipal governments and related organizations within the two
prefectures have been implementing measures to prevent disasters, recover from disasters, andensure the protection of lives and physical safety of visitors at interpretation facilities etc.

(1) Measures to respond to volcanic eruption
As measures for responding to the eruption of Fujisan, the “Basic Framework of Volcano
Wide-Area Disaster Countermeasures for Mt. Fuji” was drawn up in 2006 by the Central
Disaster Management Council, which consists of all of Japan’s ministers, including the Prime
Minister, as well as academic experts. Based on the “Report of the Committee for the
Discussion of the Mt. Fuji Hazard Map”, which was published in 2004, Yamanashi Prefecture,
Shizuoka Prefecture, and the relevant municipal governments have added a “volcano disasterprevention plan for Mt. Fuji”, which mainly addresses evacuation measures in case of theeruption of Fujisan, to the “regional disaster prevention plan”.
Furthermore, in February 2014, Yamanashi Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Kanagawa
Prefecture, relevant municipal governments, etc. published the “Wide-Area Evacuation Plan|81

for the Mt. Fuji Volcano”, setting out basic evacuation principles such as the area where
evacuation is needed, the number of people who need to be evacuated, evacuation destinations,and staged evacuation procedures. In March 2015, measures for the smooth evacuation ofresidents etc. from a wide area, including information sharing, wide-area evacuation, andtraffic control, were identified and added to enhance the plan.
In October 2014, Yamanashi Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture
conducted joint disaster prevention drills of the simulated response and coordination
procedures needed in case of the eruption of Mt. Fuji. In the summer of 2015, climbers weretrained in safety measures in coordination with tourist companies, mountain hut associations,etc. The plan will be enhancedby training drills etc. with a view to improving safety andensuring people’s peace of mind.

(2) Responses to storms, floods, landslides, earthquakes, fires.
The “Regional Disaster Prevention Plan” sets out disaster prevention measures for different
types of disaster, including storms, floods, earthquakes, and large-scale fires. Disasterprevention drills have been conducted on an ongoing basis.

3 Issues
Measures to ensure the protection of lives and physical safety of visitors need to be enhanced.
Measures for conserving component parts of Fujisan require review and strengthening.

4 Policies
Yamanashi Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, and the relevant municipal governments play acentral role in increasing the visitor awareness of the regional disaster prevention plan. In
addition, the relevant organizations will work together to review plans for conserving individualcomponent parts of Fujisan to strengthen disaster-prevention measures.

5 Measures(1) Volcanic eruption and associated disasters
Based on the “Wide-Area Evacuation Plan for the Mt. Fuji Volcano” published in February
2014, relevant plans are to be validated based on the lessons learned duiring previous
disaster-prevention drills. This will allow the population targeted for evacuation to be
evacuated as smoothly as possible if a volcanic eruption appears imminent.

82|Since the eruption of Mt. Ontake (3,067 m), on the border between Nagano Prefecture andGifu Prefecture on 27 September 2014, Yamanashi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture havebeen examining the information provided to climbers, in addition to the evacuation routes,
requirements for evacuation facilities, and ways to raise awareness among people planning to
make ascents (from the perspective of ensuring the safety of climbers in case of a sudden
eruption etc). Future discussions will be led by the Mt. Fuji Volcano Disaster Prevention
Council, and the results will be fed back to the “Wide-Area Evacuation Plan for the Mt. Fuji
Volcano” (reference information 1 and 2, pages 86 and 90).
In addition, the national government, Yamanashi Prefecture, and Shizuoka Prefecture will
work together to develop the “Emergency Disaster Damage Reduction Plan for the Eruption of
Mt. Fuji”. The Pland will mitigate damage from landslide disasters, resulting from an eruptionof Mt. Fuji, to infrastructure, lifelines, etc., and will support broad evacuation efforts.
Furthermore, equipment will be installed, and the monitoring mechanism enhanced, to identify
early signs of an eruption for ensuring prompt emergency damge-mitigation measures.

(2) Landslides and stone falls(i) Construction of facilities to prevent erosion-caused disasters
In the “Osawa Kuzure” erosion area, measures to control erosion and prevent thecollapse of mountain slopes are to be taken together with the constructionof
sediment-control dams and sand-retention fields at the foot of the mountain of Fujisan inorder to prevent debris-flow disasters, while taking consideration of the scenic landscape(reference information 3, page 91).
(ii) Landslides and stone falls
To prevent erosion, the cutting of trees etc. is restricted; and to protect climbers andvisitors from stone falls etc., facilities such as training levees, protection walls, andprotection fences are to be installed, in consideration of the scenic landscape.

(3) Earthquakes
Based on the “Shizuoka Prefecture Action Programme 2013 for Countermeasures against
Earthquakes and Tsunamis”, measures against earthquakes and tsunamis are to be improved interms of both hardware and software.
Based on the regional disaster prevention plan, countermeasures against earthquakes are to
be promoted.

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(4) Fires(i) Mountain fires
Yamanashi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture conduct awareness-raising campaigns toprevent mountain fires in coordination with relevant municipal governments and otherorganizations.
(ii) Prescribed fires
Prescribed fires are necessary to eradicate harmful insects and prevent wild fires. Whenprescribed fires are set, the safety of workers must be ensured and the spread of fire is to beprevented based on good practice guidelines and the safety measures manual (reference
information 4, page 92).

(5) Safety of visitors in the mountain area
Information will be provided to visitors and climbers by installing radio equipment andloudspeakers in the mountain huts, and the 5th Station, and pamphlets will be distributed toraise the awareness of visitors and climbers and ensure the safety of visitors to themountain area (reference information 5, page 93).

(6) Disaster affecting the component parts at the foot of the mountain
Measures to prevent disaster, recover buildings designated as Cultural Properties, andensure the safety of the people visiting them are to be taken based on the “Disaster
Prevention Plan for Cultural Properties” of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the“Cultural Properties Disaster Prevention Manual”, etc. (reference information 6, page 94).

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Reference Information|

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Reference Information 1: Volcanic Disaster Countermeasures for Fujisan

Reference Information 1: Volcanic Disaster Countermeasures for Fujisan

・ Summary
The “Fujisan Volcanic Disaster Management Council”, consisting of the national
government, Yamanashi Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, othermunicipal governments, volcano experts, and relevant organizations, was set up in June2012 in order to discuss comprehensive evacuation measures in case of the eruption of
Fujisan and other matters jointly. It promotes the establishment of a disaster prevention
system for volcanic disasters and contributes to raising awareness of local people etc. fordisaster prevention.
Within the Council, prefectural core groups, three-prefecture core group, andprefectural joint secretariat are established (see the figure on next page). At theprefectural core groups, matters to be discussed at each prefecture are considered bymember departments and organizations. At the three-prefecture core group, all the coregroups of the three prefectures gather together when needed for confirmation or
coordination about overarching policies. At the joint secretariat of the prefectural coregroups, the secretariats of individual prefectures put together the results of discussions at
the individual groups and make necessary coordination.
In case that the volcanic activities of Fujisan become active, residents and otherpeople in wide areas need to be evacuated. Therefore, the Council has a role to play intaking measures to address volcanic disasters over a wide area, by ensuring thecoordination and information sharing among member organizations and building
consensus and making necessary coordination about disaster prevention measures,
including wide-area evacuation, in light of the opinions of volcano experts etc. in
preparation of the implementation of countermeasures that cover a wide area.

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Reference Information 1: Volcanic Disaster Countermeasures for FujisanReference Information 1: Volcanic Disaster Countermeasures for Fujisan

・ Actions already implemented
The “Wide-area Evacuation Plan for the Eruption of Mt. Fuji” provides evacuationplans consisting of specific information, such as who needs to be evacuated when from
where to where, based on different types of volcanic phenomenon. Basically, in case oflava flow (generation of crater, pyroclastic flow, large volcanic ejecta, and lava flow),
people are evacuated over a wide area to outside the “Danger Area” (area to be
evacuated from); in case of snow melt triggered by volcanic eruption, ash fall, and small
volcanic ejecta, people are evacuated to nearby (in robust buildings etc.). Period of
evacuation and concept of to where the residents would evacuate are described below.
"Climbing restriction" is issued to tourists and climbers when the announcement of"preparation for evacuation" is issued to the general public in the same area.
Also, in order to prevent society from being thrown into confusion or panic due toevacuation and to avoid traffic congestions, the area to be evacuated from is delineatedto the minimum necessary and the differentiated timing of evacuation is planned
according to the specific conditions of locations.
As a measure to ensure the public awareness of the volcanic alert levels for Fujisanand evacuation plans for different volcanic phenomena, pamphlets have been publishedand distributed.
In October 2014, “Three-Prefecture Joint Disaster Prevention Drill 2014” wasconducted in order to verify and improve the effectiveness of the "Wide-area Evacuation
Plan for the Eruption of Fujisan", based on three main training pillars: “joint on-map
training”, “residents’ evacuation training”, and “individual trainings of relevantorganizations”.
In March 2015, the existing “Wide-area Evacuation Plan for the Eruption of Mt. Fuji”
was revised, following the three points: (i) the organizational structures of the Council,
the national government, Yamanashi Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, and relevant
municipal governments; (ii) procedures for mutual information sharing, designation ofwide-area evacuation routes, principles and procedures of evacuee acceptance; and (iii)actions to be taken by different organizations to ensure the smooth wide-area evacuationaccording to different eruption alert levels.

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・ Future actions
The Fujisan Volcanic Disaster Management Council will continue to conduct
evacuation drills to verify and improve the effectiveness of the existing “Wide-are
Evacuation Plan for the Eruption of Mt. Fuji”. In particular, the Council will have joint
discussion, as appropriate, about the content of Mt. Fuji Hazard Map, the standards forrobust buildings and their designation, the removal of objects obstructing wide-area
evacuation routes, and the safety measures for tourists and climbers in case of sudden
eruption, and will reflect the results of discussion in the “Wide-area Evacuation Plan for
the Eruption of Mt. Fuji”.

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Reference Information 1: Volcanic Disaster Countermeasures for FujisanReference Information 2: Volcano Disaster Management for Visitors
・ Summary
In preparation of sudden eruption of Fujisan, a map showing the evacuation routes on
the existing roads is developed and measures are taken to raise the awareness of climbers,
other visitors, and other people about evacuation routes, in order to help them takeactions for evacuation in case of eruption.

Reference Information 2: Volcano Disaster Management for Visitors

・ Actions already implemented
Yamanashi Prefecture surveyed the current conditions of the existing roads and, basedon the records of past eruptions of Fujisan, simulated four representative patterns oferuption through exchange of opinions with experts in volcanoes, municipal
governments, local stakeholders, etc., estimating the area to be affected by volcanic
phenomena and developing a map showing the evacuation routes on the existing roads.
The prepared map has been posted on the web site of Yamanashi Prefecture anddistributed to climbers, other visitors, and other people at the facilities of the 5th stationand other places in an effort to raise awareness of the evacuation routes.
Also, Shizuoka Prefecture is making a map of evacuation routes on the model of
Yamanashi Prefecture’s evacuation route map for the eruption of Mt. Fuji, so that they
can complete the map by March 2016.

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・ Future actions
The issues that have been identified in the process of the survey on the current
conditions of the existing roads for the development of the map and also in the processof the discussion on evacuation routes will be sorted out and translated into the future
evacuation measures in case of eruption.

Evacuation Route Map for the Eruption of Mt. Fuji

・ Actions already implemented
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has been constructing
sediment-related disaster prevention facilities to prevent bank erosion, to stabilize
unstable soil, and to prevent the spread of debris flows in the downstream valleys where
erosion and collapses are taking place, including Osawa Kuzure, as a measure to protect
the downstream areas from damage of debris flow. In addition, measures to prevent
sediment-related disasters have been implemented at the streams to the southwest of
Fujisan.
【Consolidation works at Osawa Kuzure】

BeforeAfter【Sediment-related disaster prevention measures to the southwest of Fujisan】

Sand retention works

Channel works

Sabo dam・ Future actions
In order to protect the downstream areas from sediment-related disasters,Mount Fuji
Sabo Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will continue
to construct dams for erosion and sediment control (Sabo dams) and sand retention
works at Osawa Kuzure and steams to the southwest of Fujisan, and Shizuoka Prefecture
will at other streams.
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Reference Information 3: Development of Erosion Control Facilities at the Foot of
Fujisan, Including Sabo Works for the Osawa Kuzure

Reference Information 3: Development of Erosion Control Facilities at the Foot of
Fujisan, Including Sabo Works for the Osawa Kuzure
・ Summary
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is taking the initiative in
implementing river-bed works to prevent erosion and hillside landslides at the head of
the Osawa River, where land collapses have been continuing on the western slope of
Fujisan (known as Osawa Kuzure). In relation to this, at the Osawa River and othersteams with high risks of debris flows at the foot of Fujisan on the side of Shizuoka
Prefecture, measures to prevent landslide and debris flows from flowing out to thedownstream are implemented, including the installation of erosion control dams andsand retention areas at proper locations in order to prevent damage caused by debris
flows.

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Reference Information 4: Prevention of the Spread of Fire during Prescribed Burning

Reference Information 4: Prevention of the Spread of Fire during Prescribed Burning

・ Summary
Prescribed burning is a traditional process of burning dead grasses such as the
miscanthus intentionally and is locally called hiire in local communities around Fujisan.
Prescribed burning has been conducted for various reasons: acceleration of the growthof medicinal herbs and the miscanthus that is gathered by local people as roofing
materials for traditional Japanese houses, maintenance of biodiversity, continuation ofcultural traditions with the participation of local residents, and contribution tomaintaining the landscapes of Fujisan, such as forests and grass fields.

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・ Actions already implemented
Municipalities where prescribed burning is implemented have set ordinances toregulate the process of open burning.
Ordinances are stipulating regulations to prevent the fire from spreading, such assuspension of the prescribed burning process when measured wind velocity exceeds thethreshold value or humidity decreases below the threshold value, as well as theimplementation structure of prescribed burning such as the allocation and roles of people
participating in the process, and installation of fire safety zones.
Safety manuals describing cautions to ensure the safety of prescribed burning are also
prepared and distributed to increase the awareness of participants.
Municipalities near the site of prescribed burning are also implementing safetymeasures such as installing fire safety zones with sufficient widths to prevent the firefrom spreading to nearby forests and grass fields.
・ Future actions
The safety of people engaging in prescribed burning will continue to be ensured,
based on work guidelines and safety manuals, and efforts are to be made to prevent the
spread of fire.

Reference Information 5: Volcano Disaster Countermeasures for Visitors
・ Summary“Mt. Fuji Volcano Guide Map” has been prepared, providing climbers and tourists
visiting the northern foot of Fujisan with information of procedures for smoothevacuation in case of emergency. Mt. Fuji Volcano Guide Map has been made available
at roadside stations and tourist spots for higher public awareness.
・ Actions already implemented“Mt. Fuji Volcano Guide Map” has been published in Japanese, English, Chinese,and Korean in an effort to raise awareness of volcanic disaster prevention andevacuation procedures in case of eruption and has been made available at about 25
locations centering on roadside stations and tourist spots. So far, about 100 thousand
copies have been distributed.

Reference Information 5: Volcano Disaster Countermeasures for Visitors

・ Future actions“Mt. Fuji Volcano Guide Map” will continue to be distributed to climbers and tourists
from other countries who do not have access to information about disaster prevention inadvance and the information provision will be strengthened.

Mt. Fuji Volcano Guide Map|93

Reference Information 6: Disaster Controls at the Component Parts Located at theFoot of Fujisan

Reference Information 6: Disaster Controls at the Component Parts Located at the Foot of Fujisan

・ SummaryWith regard to the wooden buildings etc. associated with the World Heritage,Fujisan, designated by the national government, Yamanashi Prefecture, and Shizuoka
Prefecture, measures have been taken based on the “Disaster Prevention BusinessPlan” by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the “Disaster Prevention Manual for
Cultural Properties” by Shizuoka Prefecture, such as fire prevention, recovery in caseof damage due to disasters, and safety and security of lives of visitors at facilities.
Efforts will be continued to call on owners of wooden buildings to maintain andmanage fire prevention facilities in order to prevent fire.
Also, in order to rescue cultural properties in case of a disaster, Shizuoka Prefecture
has organized a network to support the rescue of cultural properties, consisting oforganizations related to cultural properties within and outside Shizuoka Prefecture(hereinafter referred to as “Rescue Network”). The secretariat of the Rescue Networkorganizes training courses for cultural property rescue supporters in order to train
human resources who can work in the rescue and appointing those who completed
these training courses and people with necessary skills to protect cultural properties as"cultural property rescue supporters".

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・Actions already implemented
With regard to fires at buildings such as Shinto shrines, owners or local governments
which are designated as custodial bodies under the Law for the Protection of Cultural
Properties are implementing measures such as the installation of fire prevention
facilities including automatic fire alarm systems and the establishment of fire brigades.
For the maintenance and management of these fire prevention facilities, financial
assistance has been provided to owners and custodial bodies since before theinscription of Fujisan on the World Heritage List.
Shizuoka Prefecture launched the rescue network in 2011 and training courses for
cultural properties rescue supporters have been organized since 2012.
In the Shizuoka Prefecture General Disaster Prevention Drill in 2013, culturalproperties rescue supporters and the rescue network conducted a drill for informationcollection about damage to cultural properties and in 2014 the member organizationsof the rescue network conducted the drill.
Also the municipalities of Yamanashi Prefecture in coordination with Yamanashi
Prefecture developed a manual for ensuring the safety of visitors to the relevant
component parts (hereinafter referred to as “manual”) in 2015.
・ Future actions
Financial assistance will continue to be provided for maintenance and managementof fire prevention facilities. Also, training courses for cultural properties rescue
supporters will be continued and the efforts to enhance the rescue network will also be
continued.
Municipal governments within Yamanashi Prefecture will conduct disaster prevention
drills in accordance with the manual, while verifying and revising the manual.

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