Extract of the 2019White Paper on Fire Service

Materials created by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency wereextracted and translated by the International Fire Service Information Center

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency(FDMA)

Extract of the 2019 White Paper on Fire Service
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Section1 Fire Prevention /Japanese original P.71............................................................................................ 1[ Current Status and Recent Trends with Fires ] ........................................................................................................ 1[ Current Status of Fire Prevention Administration ] /Japanese original P.85.......................................................... 3
1. Current Status of Residential Fire Prevention Measures.................................................................................... 3
2. Fire Prevention Properties................................................................................................................................... 3
3. Fire Prevention Management System.................................................................................................................. 4(1) Fire Protection Managers................................................................................................................................ 4(2) Supervisors of Fire Protection Management.................................................................................................. 5(3) Periodic Inspection and Reporting System for Fire Prevention Properties.................................................. 5
4. Disaster Prevention Management System........................................................................................................... 5(1) Disaster Protection Managers......................................................................................................................... 5(2) Supervisors of Disaster Protection Management........................................................................................... 6
5. Onsite Inspections and Corrections of Violations............................................................................................... 6(1) Current Status for Onsite Inspections and Corrections of Violations............................................................ 6(2) Fire Safety Certification Mark.......................................................................................................................... 6(3) Initiation of a System for Publicly Announcing Violating Properties............................................................. 7
6. Fire Protection Equipment etc.............................................................................................................................. 7(1) Current Status of Fire Prevention Consent..................................................................................................... 7(2) Current Status for the Installation of Fire Protection Equipment etc............................................................ 8(3) Fire Protection Equipment Engineers and Fire Protection Equipment Inspectors....................................... 9(4) Flame Retardancy Regulations....................................................................................................................... 9(5) Regulations for Equipment and Tools that Use Fire....................................................................................... 9
7. Inspection System for Fire Protection Machinery and Tools etc...................................................................... 10(1) Inspections..................................................................................................................................................... 10(2) Self-labeling................................................................................................................................................... 11
8. Performance Inspections of Technical Standard for Fire Protection Equipment etc...................................... 11
9. Current Status of Investigations into the Causes of Fires................................................................................. 12
10. Promoting Countermeasures to Product Fires.................................................................................................. 12

Section2	Countermeasures to Disasters at Facilities for Hazardous Materials/Japanese original P.99.................................................................................................................... 14[ Current Status and Recent Trends in Disasters at Facilities for Hazardous Materials ]............................................ 14
1. Fire Accidents..................................................................................................................................................... 14(1) Number of Fire Accidents at Facilities for Hazardous Materials and the Damage..................................... 14(2) Causative Factors behind the Fire Accidents at Facilities for Hazardous Materials.................................. 15(3) Fire Accidents at Unauthorized Facilities..................................................................................................... 15(4) Fire Accidents during the Transportation of Hazardous Materials.............................................................. 15(5) Fire Accidents during the Temporary Storage or Handling.......................................................................... 16
2. Spillage Accidents.............................................................................................................................................. 16(1) Number of Spillage Accidents at Facilities for Hazardous Materials and the Damage.............................. 16(2) Causative Factors behind the Spillage Accidents at Facilities for Hazardous Materials........................... 17(3) Spillage Accidents at Unauthorized Facilities.............................................................................................. 18(4) Spillage Accidents during the Transportation of Hazardous Materials....................................................... 18(5) Spillage Accidents during the Temporary Storage or Handling................................................................... 18[ Current Status of Hazardous Materials Administration ] /Japanese original P.103............................................ 18
1. Regulations on Hazardous Materials................................................................................................................. 18(1) Regulatory Structure for Hazardous Materials............................................................................................. 18(2) Current Status of Facilities for Hazardous Materials.................................................................................... 18(3) Hazardous Material Engineers...................................................................................................................... 19(4) Safety Systems at Offices.............................................................................................................................. 20(5) Safety Inspections......................................................................................................................................... 21(6) Onsite Inspections and Orders...................................................................................................................... 21i

2. Securing Petroleum Pipelines............................................................................................................................ 21(1) Safety Regulations for the Petroleum Pipeline Business............................................................................. 21(2) Ensuring the Safety of Petroleum Pipelines................................................................................................. 21

Section3	Countermeasures to Disasters at Petroleum Industrial Complexes/Japanese original P.111.................................................................................................................. 22[ Current Status and Recent Trends in Disasters at Petroleum Industrial Complexes ].............................................. 22
1. Number of Accidents and Damage.................................................................................................................... 22
2. Characteristics of Accidents.............................................................................................................................. 23(1) Number of General Accidents by Type of Accident..................................................................................... 23(2) Number of General Accidents by Cause of Accident................................................................................... 23(3) Number of General Accidents by Type of Specified Business Establishment............................................ 23(4) Number of General Accidents at Specified Business Establishment by Type of Business Category....... 23[ Current Status of Damage Countermeasures at Petroleum Industrial Complexes ]/Japanese original P.114 ................................................................................................................................... 24
1. Current Status of Special Disaster Prevention Areas........................................................................................ 24
2. Disaster Prevention Structure at Prefectures and Firefighting Agencies......................................................... 24(1) Establishing Disaster Prevention Schemes.................................................................................................. 24(2) Emergency Responses when Disasters Occur............................................................................................ 26(3) Maintaining the Firefighting Capabilities of Municipalities Containing Special Disaster Prevention Areas............... 26
3. Disaster Prevention Structure at Specified Business Establishments............................................................. 26(1) Establishing Disaster Prevention Organizations for Self-defense............................................................... 26(2) Equipping High Capacity Foam System....................................................................................................... 26(3) Enhancing Disaster Prevention Structure for Self-defense......................................................................... 27
4. Layout Regulations for Business Establishments............................................................................................. 27(1) Layout Regulations........................................................................................................................................ 27(2) Status for New Establishment and Other Notifications................................................................................ 27
5. Other Disaster Countermeasures....................................................................................................................... 27(1) Establishing Disaster Response Structure................................................................................................... 27(2) Establishing Green Buffer Zones for Disaster Prevention............................................................................ 27
6. Recent Disaster Measures at Petroleum Industrial Complexes....................................................................... 28(1) L iaison Conference of Related Ministries and Agency for Examining Disaster Prevention
Measures at Petroleum Industrial Complexes, etc. ..................................................................................... 28(2) Earthquake and Tsunami Measures for Petroleum Industrial Complexes, etc........................................... 28(3) Skill Contest for Self-defense Disaster Prevention Organizations at Petroleum Industrial Complexes, etc. ....... 28(4) H
 olding an Examination Meeting to Strengthen the Disaster Prevention Systems ofPetroleum Industrial Complexes, etc............................................................................................................ 29

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Section1 Fire Service Structure /Japanese original P.171......................................................................... 30
1. Fire Defense Organizations................................................................................................................................ 30(1) Standing Firefighting Agencies..................................................................................................................... 30(2) Volunteer Fire Corps...................................................................................................................................... 30
2. Fire and Disaster Defense Facilities................................................................................................................... 31(1) Maintenance of Fire Trucks and Other Equipment....................................................................................... 31(2) Fire Defense Communication Equipment..................................................................................................... 31(3) Water Sources for Firefighting....................................................................................................................... 33

Section 4 Education and Training Structure /Japanese original P.204...................................................... 35
1. Education and Training for Firefighters.............................................................................................................. 35
2. On-the-job Training............................................................................................................................................. 35
3. Education and Training at Fire Academies........................................................................................................ 35(1) Establishment of Fire Academies.................................................................................................................. 35(2) Types of Education and Training................................................................................................................... 35(3) Enhancing and Strengthening the Education and Training at Fire Academies........................................... 35(4) Holding of Education and Training................................................................................................................ 36
4. Education and Training and Technical Assistance at the Fire and Disaster Management College................ 36(1) Facilities and Equipment............................................................................................................................... 36

ii

(2) Holding of Education and Training................................................................................................................ 37(3) Technical Assistance for Fire Academies..................................................................................................... 39(4) Special Lectures............................................................................................................................................. 39

Section 5 Ambulance Service System /Japanese original P.209................................................................ 40
1. Implementation of Ambulance Services............................................................................................................ 40(1) Ambulance Service Dispatch........................................................................................................................ 40(2) People Transported by the Severity of Their Injury or Illness...................................................................... 40(3) People Transported by Ambulance by Age Group and Type of Accident................................................... 40(4) Time Required to Arrive at the Scene........................................................................................................... 42(5) Time Required to Check the Patient into a Hospital.................................................................................... 42(6) First-aid Treatment Administered by Ambulance Team Members............................................................... 42
2. Implementation Structure for Ambulance Services........................................................................................... 45(1) Number of Municipalities Offering Ambulance Services.............................................................................. 45(2) Number of Ambulance Teams, Ambulance Team Members and Associate Ambulance Team Members.......... 45(3) Trends in the Number of EMTs and Ambulance Teams with EMTs.............................................................. 47(4) Number of Ambulances................................................................................................................................. 47(5) Ambulance Services along National and Other Expressways..................................................................... 47
3. Promoting Coordination between Firefighting and Medical Care.................................................................... 47(1) Acceptance of People Using Ambulance Transport at Medical Institutions............................................... 48(2) Standards on Patient Transport and Their Acceptance............................................................................... 48(3) Ambulance Medical Care Structure.............................................................................................................. 49
4. Promotion of More Sophisticated Ambulance Services................................................................................... 49(1) Promotion of Education for Ambulance Service Personnel......................................................................... 49(2) Increase in the Treatment Scope of EMTs.................................................................................................... 50(3) Enhancement of Medical Control System.................................................................................................... 50(4) Use of Emergency Resuscitation Statistics (Utstein data)........................................................................... 51

Section 6 Rescue System /Japanese original P.230.................................................................................... 52
1. Implementation Status for Rescue Activities..................................................................................................... 52(1) Number of Rescue Activities and Number of People Rescued................................................................... 52(2) Implementation Status of Rescue Activities by Type of Incident................................................................ 52
2. Implementation Structure for Rescue Activities................................................................................................ 53(1) Number of Rescue Crews and Number of Rescue Crew Members............................................................ 53(2) Ownership Status of Rescue Equipment for Rescue Activities................................................................... 53
3. Holding National Firefighting and Rescue Skills Meets.................................................................................... 54

Section 8	Integrated Fire Service Support and National Fire-Service Team for Disaster Response/Japanese Original P.241............................................................................................................... 55

1. Integrated Support System for Fire Service...................................................................................................... 55(1) Mutual Support Agreement for Fire Services............................................................................................... 55(2) Establishment of Integrated Support System for Fire Service.................................................................... 55
2. National Fire-Service Teams for Disaster Response........................................................................................ 56
	(1) Creation of National Fire-Service Teams for Disaster Response and Their Enshrinement in
Law via Revisions to the Fire Organization Act............................................................................................ 56(2) Organization of and Dispatch Plans for National Fire-Service Teams ........................................................ 59(3) Number of National Fire-Service Teams Registered and Their Equipment................................................. 61

Attachment

Attachment 1-1-2
Attachment 1-2-1
Attachment 2-1-2
			Extent of fire damage by prefecture /Japanese original P.324............................................... 64
Trends in the number of facilities for hazardous material /Japanese original P.360............ 67
Trends in the number of firefighting agencies and volunteer firefighter/Japanese original P.373............................................................................................................. 68

iii

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

1 Fire Prevention

Section☞ Japanese Original P.71

number from ten years prior (the number of fires in 2018).
Furthermore, the number of fatalities from fires has also
largely been trending downward since 2008. The numberof fatalities from fires in 2018 came to 1,427, a decreaseof 29 (2.0%) compared with the previous year, or 72.5%
that from ten years ago (based on the number of fatalities
from fires in 2008). (Fig. 1-1-1, Table 1-1-1)

Current Status and Recent Trends with Fires
Looking at the number of fires since 2008, there has
been trending downwards. The number of fires that
occurred in 2018 came to 37,981, falling to 1,392 (3.5%)
compared to the previous year, which is 72.5% of theFig. 1-1-1 Changes in the number of fires and their trends(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “Fire Reports”.
2 The figures for each year are calculation of the fire that occurred in January to December. The same hold true in this section hereafter unlessotherwise noted.
3 See the left axis for the number of fires, number of fatalities, number of fires ratio, building floor area burned ratio, number of fatalities ratio,
and amount of damages ratio, and the right axis for the building floor area burned and the amount of damages.
4 The number of fires ratio, building floor area burned ratio, number of fatalities ratio, and amount of damages ratio are ratios found by taking
the values from 2007 to be 100.

1

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Table1-1-1 Status of fires
Classification(During each year)
Unit

No. of fires
Building fires
Forest fires

2017
(A)

2008

Change(B) - (A)
(C)

2018
(B)

Rate of change(C) / (A) X 100(%)

52,39439,37337,981△ 1,392△ 3.5

30,05321,365

20,764

△ 601

△ 2.8

1,891

1,284

1,363

79

6.2

5,358

3,863

3,660

△ 203

△ 5.3

Ship fires

101

72

69

△3

△ 4.2

Aircraft fires

3

6

1

△5

△ 83.3

Vehicle fires

Fires

Other fires
No. of buildings burned
Totally destroyed
Half destroyed

Buildings

14,98812,78312,124

△ 659

△ 5.2

40,58830,82429,962

△ 862

△ 2.8

8,628

6,967

7,138

171

2.5

2,761

1,677

1,658

△ 19

△ 1.1

Partially destroyed

11,548

8,063

7,833

△ 230

△ 2.9

Minor fire

17,651

14,117

13,333

△ 784

△ 5.6
△ 0.6

Building floor area burned㎡

1,317,231

1,069,932

1,063,583△ 6,349

Building surface area burned㎡

148,018

111,304

117,981

6,677

6.0

Forest area burneda83,91693,80860,624△ 33,184△ 35.4△ 2.0

Fatalities

People

1,969

1,456

1,427

△ 29

InjuredPeople

7,998

6,052

6,114

62

1.0

26,80518,85318,180

△ 673

△ 3.6

No. of households affected
Totally destroyed
Half destroyed

Households

Partially destroyed
No. of people affected

People

5,923

4,163

3,978

△ 185

△ 4.4

2,139

1,305

1,233

△ 72

△ 5.5

18,743

13,385

12,969

△ 416

△ 3.1

66,53341,51839,758△ 1,760△ 4.2

Amount of damages

108,417

89,32384,627△ 4,696△ 5.3

Building fires

99,841

81,59976,353△ 5,246△ 6.4

Forest fires

606

900

202

△ 698

△ 77.6

Vehicle fires

2,819

2,283

2,227

△ 56

△ 2.5

171

619

859

240

38.8

Aircraft fires

1,192

43

730

687

1597.7

Other fires

3,371

3,105

3,172

67

2.2

Explosions

417

772

1,084

312

40.4

4.1

3.1

3.0

△ 0.1

−

Ship fires

Fire outbreak rate

Millions

Fires/10,000(Notes) 1 Prepared from “Fire Reports”.
2 The figures for each year are calculations of the fires that occurred in January to December. The same holds true in this section hereafter
unless otherwise noted.
3 “Building fires” refer to fires that burn buildings or the contents contained therein. The same holds true in this section hereafter unlessotherwise noted.
4 “Forest fires” refer to fires that burn forests, wilderness, or grassland. The same holds true in this section hereafter unless otherwise noted.
5 “Vehicle fires” refer to fires that burn automotive vehicles, railway vehicles, trailer vehicles, or their cargo. The same holds true in this section
hereafter unless otherwise noted.
6 “Ship fires” refer to fires that burn ships or their cargo. The same holds true in this section hereafter unless otherwise noted.
7 “Aircraft fires” refer to fires that burn aircraft or their cargo. The same holds true in this section hereafter unless otherwise noted.
8 “Other fires” refer to fires other than building fires, forest fires, vehicle fires, ship fires and aircraft fires (fires involving vacant land, fields, roads,
flood plains, waste collection sites, outdoor item collection sites, train tracks, utility poles, etc.). The same holds true in this section hereafter
unless otherwise noted.
9 Fatalities includes those people who were injured by fires and passed away within 48 hours. The same holds true in this section hereafter
unless otherwise noted.
10 The fire outbreak rate refers to the number of fires per 10,000 people. The same holds true in this section hereafter unless otherwise noted.
11 Amount of damages and so forth include cases that are still under investigation, and so this may change. The same holds true in this section
hereafter unless otherwise noted.
12 The symbol '△' indicates negative numbers. The same holds true in this section hereafter unless otherwise noted.
13 Rate of change was found by rounding up less than whole numbers with the displayed units. The same holds true in this section hereafter
unless otherwise noted.
14 The population for 2006 was found from the Basic Resident Register as of March 31, the population for 2015 was found from a Survey on the
Current Status of Fire and Disaster Prevention and Earthquake Countermeasures as of March 31 for each year, and the population for 2016
was found from the Basic Resident Register as of January 1.
15 If a fire is spread across more than two types of fires, it is aggregated into the number of fires based on which type had the larger amount ofdamages. For the amount of damages, this is aggregated for each type of fire by the objects damaged in the fire (building, vehicle, forest,
ship, aircraft, or other). The same holds true in this section hereafter unless otherwise noted.
16 The amount of damages from “Explosions” is posted to “Explosions” within “Amount of damages” without regard to the type of fire.
17 The figures in the total column may not align with the totals for each figure due to rounding. The same holds true in this section hereafter
unless otherwise noted.

-omitted-

2

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters☞ Japanese Original P.85

Measures to Install Residential Fire Alarms established at
this committee, various initiatives have been deployed toensure that residential fire alarms are thoroughly installed
and maintained. This is done by the fire departments
throughout Japan in cooperation with volunteer fire corps,
women’s (female) firefighting clubs, voluntary disasterprevention organizations, and others. As of June 1, 2019,the nationwide installation rate *1 was 82.3% and theordinance compliance rate*2 was 67.9%. When viewed by
prefecture, Fukui Prefecture had the highest installation
rate, and the highest ordinance compliance rate. (Table
1-1-15)Current Status of Fire Prevention Administration
1. Current Status of Residential Fire
Prevention Measures
The number of residential fires in 2018 (10,269,
excluding those from arson) accounted for roughly 50%of the number of building fires (19,430, excluding thosefrom arson). What is more, the number of fatalities fromresidential fires (946, excluding suicides by arson),accounts for roughly 90% of the number of fatalities
from building fires (1,051, excluding suicides by arson).
(Attachment 1-1-25 untranslated) In addition, elderly
people age 65 or older account for approximately 70% of
the fatalities from residential fires.
As a result of the revision of the Fire Service Act in 2004,
the installation of residential fire alarms became mandatory
for newly-built residences from June 2006, and for existing
residences by June 2011 in all municipalities based on theirordinances. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency(FDMA) held the Committee on Measures to Install
Residential Fire Alarms. Based on the Basic Policy on

2. Fire Prevention Properties
The Fire Service Act defines the primary properties
that are eligible for fire prevention administration, such asarchitectural structures, as “fire prevention properties.” Italso mandates that personnel structures for fire prevention
be established, fire protection equipment etc.*3 be installed,
and flame retardant goods be used at those fire prevention
properties listed in Appended Table I of the Ordinance ofEnforcement for the Fire Service Act according to their
purpose, size, and so forth.

Table 1-1-15 Installation rate of residential fire alarms and rate of compliance with the ordinance byprefecture (June 1, 2019)
Prefecture

Installation rate

Ordinance compliance rate

All of Japan

82.3%

67.9%

Hokkaido

82.0%

(19)

67.6%

Prefecture

(18)

Shiga

Installation rate

Ordinance compliance rate

76.8%

(39)

64.4%

(28)

82.7%

(17)

62.2%

(34)

Aomori

75.1%

(41)

59.0%

(39)

Kyoto

87.9%

(6)

73.2%

(6)

Iwate

83.8%

(13)

66.9%

(21)

Osaka

83.8%

(13)

77.0%

(5)

Miyagi

91.4%

(2)

65.0%

(26)

Hyogo

87.2%

(8)

70.4%

(12)

Akita

81.8%

(21)

67.4%

(19)

Nara

74.0%

(42)

63.0%

(31)

Yamagata

81.7%

(22)

60.8%

(38)

Wakayama

79.1%

(31)

62.5%

(32)

Fukushima

77.4%

(37)

54.5%

(44)

Tottori

83.0%

(15)

63.6%

(30)

Ibaraki

72.5%

(44)

58.8%

(40)

Shimane

82.6%

(18)

61.7%

(35)

Tochigi

76.8%

(39)

62.4%

(33)

Okayama

78.0%

(35)

65.0%

(26)

Gunma

70.7%

(45)

54.1%

(45)

Hiroshima

87.5%

(7)

80.6%

(3)

Saitama

77.5%

(36)

65.2%

(25)

Yamaguchi

80.9%

(24)

67.7%

(17)

Chiba

80.0%

(27)

65.5%

(24)

Tokushima

80.0%

(27)

68.4%

(15)

Tokyo

89.3%

(3)

72.2%

(7)

Kagawa

77.1%

(38)

64.0%

(29)

Kanagawa

84.1%

(12)

72.2%

(7)

Ehime

78.9%

(33)

66.8%

(22)

Niigata

86.5%

(9)

71.2%

(11)

Kochi

68.5%

(46)

46.4%

(46)

Toyama

86.4%

(10)

67.8%

(16)

Fukuoka

81.7%

(22)

71.7%

(10)

Ishikawa

88.1%

(5)

84.0%

(2)

Saga

73.8%

(43)

56.5%

(43)

Fukui

94.5%

(1)

88.6%

(1)

Nagasaki

78.4%

(34)

58.0%

(42)

Yamanashi

79.1%

(31)

70.3%

(13)

Kumamoto

79.5%

(29)

58.6%

(41)
(14)

Nagano

82.0%

(19)

66.0%

(23)

Oita

85.0%

(11)

69.5%

Gifu

80.9%

(24)

61.6%

(36)

Miyazaki

82.9%

(16)

71.8%

(9)

Shizuoka

79.4%

(30)

67.0%

(20)

Kagoshima

88.7%

(4)

79.1%

(4)

Aichi

80.7%

(26)

60.9%

(37)

Okinawa

58.2%

(47)

43.0%

(47)

(Notes) 1 (  ) : The numbers in parenthesis show the rank in order starting with the prefectures with the highest installation rates and so forth.
2 Each number contains a certain error due to sample survey.
*1
*2
*3

The “installation rate” refers to the share of households that have installed residential fire alarms in at least one location of the sections of their homein which they are obligated to do so due to municipal fire prevention ordinances (including households that are exempt from installing residential fire
alarms on account of having installed fire alarm systems, etc.) out of the total number of households.
The “ordinance compliance rate” refers to the share of households that have installed residential fire alarms in every section of their home in which
they are obligated to do so due to municipal fire prevention ordinances (including households that are exempt from installing residential fire alarms on
account of having installed fire alarm systems, etc.) out of the total number of households.
Fire protection equipment etc.: Equipment for extinguishing fires, evacuation, and other fire protection activities (fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems,
automatic fire alarms, fire escape equipment, guide lamps, etc.)3Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

As of March 31, 2019, the number of fire prevention
properties throughout Japan came to 4,185,804 (thisis the number obtained from the Survey on the Actual
Conditions of Fire Prevention Properties (targeting thosefire prevention properties listed in Appended Table I of theOrdinance of Enforcement for the Fire Service Act that arelisted in (1) through (16-3) and have a total area of 150m2
or larger, and those listed in (17) through (19)); the same
hereafter).
Moreover, the number of fire prevention properties in
the 21 major cities (special wards of Tokyo and ordinancedesignated cities) came to 1,188,488, accounting for28.4% of the total fire prevention properties throughout
Japan. Those properties that are particularly concentrated
in urban areas include underground malls (86.9% of thenational total), semi-underground malls*4 (85.7% of thenational total), stores engaged in sex-related businesses,
etc. (53.1% of the national total). (Table 1-1-16)

3. Fire Prevention Management System(1) Fire Protection Managers
The Fire Service Act mandates that people withauthority when it comes to managing fire prevention
properties that contain large numbers of people (hereafterreferred to as “management officials”) undertake theoperations necessary for fire protection management.
These include appointing the fire protection managers*5that form the core of voluntary fire protection management
structures, as well as preparing firefighting plans for fire

Table 1-1-16 Number of fire prevention properties
Classification of fire prevention properties
a Theaters, etc.
(1)b Public halls, etc.
a Cabarets, etc.

(2)

(3)

b Game centers, etc.
c S tores engaged in sex-related
businesses, etc.

Percentage
Classification of fire prevention properties Nationwide
(%)

4,428

653

14.7

(3) Nursery schools, etc.

35,388

7,529

21.3

65,4356,175

9.4(4) Child development support
centers, etc.

3,139

485

15.5

(5) W
 elfare centers fordisabled persons, etc.

20,409

3,326

16.3

843

131

15.5

9,823

1,860

18.9

192

102

53.1

c
(6)

Subtotald Kindergartens, etc.

d Karaoke box and stores, etc.

2,592

638

24.6

(7)

Schools

2,781

507

18.2

(8)

Libraries, etc.

b Eating and drinking housesa Hotels, etc.

(Asof March
31, 2018)
21 major
Percentage

Nationwide

a Restaurants, etc.

(4) Department stores, etc.
(5)

(As of March 31, 2019)21 majorcities84,391

17,08820.2

160,298

28,83418.0(9)cities(%)

82,284

15,314

18.6

16,652

3,980

23.9

126,499

28,237

22.3

7,638

857

11.2

a Special bathhouses

1,438

657

45.7

b General bathhouses

4,327

1,030

23.8

60,480

7,337

12.1

(10)

Railroad depots

3,876

1,394

36.0

1,357,705

520,302

38.3

(11)

Temples and shrines, etc.

58,31912,19120.9(1) H ospitals that they need patient
assistance for evacuation

6,765

1,094

16.2

492,825

72,485

14.7(2) Clinics with 19 beds or less thatthey need patient assistance for
evacuation

3,502

680

19.4

428

148

34.6

a (3) Hospitals(not including thoselisted in (1)), Clinics with 19 beds
or less(not including those listed in(2)) and Birth center with bed

9,576

2,432

25.4

52,184

14,73328.2(4) Clinics with no in-patient capacity,
Birth center without bed

44,024

8,269

18.8

705

97

13.8

Subtotal

63,867

12,47519.5

334,154

55,082

16.5(1) Short-term welfare facilities for theelderly

42,508

7,943

18.7

485,979

109,892

22.6

242

32

13.2

a S
 pecified multipurpose fire
prevention properties

373,532

140,500

37.6

b Unspecified multipurpose
fire prevention properties

271,916

124,598

45.8

61

53

86.9

b Apartment houses, etc.

(6)(2) Sheltersb(3) Nurseries(4) Welfare facilities for disabledchildrenca Factories, etc.
(12)b Studiosa Parking lots, etc.
(13)

162

32

19.8

474

73

15.4

b Aircraft hangars
(14)
(15)

(16)

Warehouses
Offices, etc.

(16-2) Underground malls(5) Support facilities for the disabled

6,567

1062

16.2 (16-3) Semi-underground malls

7

6

85.7

Subtotal

49,953

9,142

18.3

(17)

Cultural properties

8,926

1,518

17.0

(1) Elderly daycare centers, etc.

23,124

3,931

17.0

(18)

Arcades

1,266

472

37.3

224

43

19.2

(19)

Mountain forests

0

0

−

Total

4,185,804

1,188,488

28.4(2) Rehabilitation facilities(Notes) 1 Prepared based on the Survey on the Actual Conditions of Fire Prevention Properties (targeting those fire prevention properties listed inAppended Table I of the Ordinance of Enforcement for the Fire Service Act that are listed in (1) through (16-3) and have a total area of 150m2
or larger, and those listed in (17) through (19); the same hereafter).
2 The 21 major cities refer to the 23 wards of Tokyo and 20 ordinance-designated cities (Sapporo City, Sendai City, Saitama City, Chiba City,
Yokohama City, Kawasaki City, Sagamihara City, Niigata City, Shizuoka City, Hamamatsu City, Nagoya City, Kyoto City, Osaka City, Sakai City,
Kobe City, Okayama City, Hiroshima City, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka City, and Kumamoto City).
*4

Semi-underground mall: A combination of an underground passage and shops established in the basement of a building that stand in a row facing
this underground passage.

4

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

protection management *6 that include stipulations on
firefighting, reporting, and holding disaster drills.
As of March 31, 2019, the number of fire prevention
properties that were legally required to establish fire
protection management structures and appoint fire
protection managers came to 1,074,294 nationwide. Of
these, 881,000 properties, which corresponds to 82.0%,
have appointed fire protection managers and have notified
firefighting agencies to this effect.
Additionally, the number of fire prevention properties
where the fire protection manager has prepared firefighting
plans for fire protection management in order to carry out
the proper fire protection management operations for theirown offices and so forth and notified firefighting agencies
to this effect came to 825,194, for 76.8% of the total.
(Attachment 1-1-40 untranslated)to perform maintenance for fire prevention with said
properties and strive to comply with fire prevention laws
and ordinances.
Therefore, the Fire Service Act mandates that management
officials at fire prevention properties with certain purposesor structures or the like have people with expert knowledge
when it comes to fire prevention (hereafter referred to as“qualified inspectors of fire prevention properties”) perform
inspections and report the results of these to firefighting
agencies once a year.
These qualified inspectors of fire prevention properties
consist of people with a certain level of knowledge of fire
prevention, such as fire protection equipment engineers*8
with three or more years of practical experience withconstruction work for fire protection equipment etc., orpeople with three or more years of practical experience
as fire protection managers. They must also completea training course offered by a corporation that has
been registered by the Minister of Internal Affairs andCommunications, and have been issued a certificate
attesting that they have acquired the necessary knowledge
and skills when it comes to inspections for fire prevention
properties.
As of March 31, 2019, the number of such inspectors
came to 31,849.
Those fire prevention properties for which periodic
inspection reports have been mandated and which havebeen carrying out management for three or more years
continuously are exempt from the duty to perform
three-year inspections and reports if they meet acertain criterion. This criterion is that they have been
acknowledged as having excellent compliance with thestandards from fire prevention laws and ordinances as aresult of inspections carried out by a firefighting agency on
the basis of an application from the management officials
from said property under fire prevention measures.
Fire prevention properties that have been acknowledged
as being in compliance with the inspection standards
by the inspectors for these properties may display a“Fire Prevention Standard Inspection Certificate ofCompletion.” Those that have been acknowledged ashaving excellent compliance with the standards in fire
prevention laws and ordinances by firefighting agencies
may display a “Fire Prevention Certificate of Excellence.”(2) Supervisors of Fire Protection Management
For properties like high-rise buildings (buildings thatare taller than 31m high), underground malls, semiunderground malls, and other specified properties
under fire prevention at or above a certain size*7 wheremanagement authority has been divided up, the Fire
Service Act stipulates that fire protection managers are tobe appointed and carry out fire protection management foreach of the various areas which they have management
authority over. Conversely, it also states that supervisorsof fire protection management are to be appointed inconsultation with them in order to carry out fire protection
management for the building as a whole in an integrated
manner. It mandates that the management officials
strive to prevent fires and maintain the safety of the fire
prevention properties as a whole by preparing firefighting
plans for fire protection management for said properties
on the whole, as well as extinguishing fires, issuingreports, and holding evacuation drills.
As of March 31, 2019, the number of fire prevention
properties that were required to appoint supervisors offire protection management came to 89,258 nationwide.
Of these, 54,423, which corresponds to 61.0%, haveappointed supervisors of fire protection management
and notified firefighting agencies to this effect. What ismore, the number of fire prevention properties that have
prepared overall fire prevention plans for the sake ofcarrying out fire protection management for the building
as a whole in an integrated manner and that have notified
firefighting agencies to this effect came to 52,064, which
is 58.3% of the total. (Attachment 1-1-41 untranslated)

4. Disaster Prevention Management
System(1) Disaster Protection Managers
In order to handle imminent threats such as major
earthquakes, the Fire Service Act mandates that thosepeople with authority for the management of large-scaleand high-rise buildings and the like (hereafter referred
to as “management officials”) are to prepare firefighting(3) Periodic Inspection and Reporting System forFire Prevention Properties
To prevent fires from occurring and mitigate the damage
they do, it is important for not only firefighting agencies
but also personnel from the fire prevention properties,

*5
*6
*7
*8

Fire protection managers: People who have been appointed from among those management officials who have certain qualifications, such as having
completed a training course on fire protection management for fire prevention properties, and who are in a managerial or supervisory position where
they can appropriately carry out the operations necessary for fire protection management at said properties.
Firefighting plans for fire protection management: These are plans that establish matters which are necessary for fire protection management. Saidplans are prepared by fire protection managers, with fire protection management operations carried out on the basis of said plans.
Specified properties under fire prevention measures: Certain properties under fire prevention measures that include department stores, restaurants,
and other properties that can accommodate large numbers of people, as well as hospitals, nursing homes for the elderly, kindergartens, and otherproperties used by people who would require assistance during a disaster.
Fire protection equipment engineer: A person with expert knowledge of fire protection equipment etc. who has been issued a fire protection
equipment engineer certification.

5

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

 . Onsite Inspections and Corrections of5
Violations

plans for disaster protection management *9 suited toearthquake and other disasters, appoint disaster protection
managers*10 responsible for emergency response structuresconcerning significant damage when earthquakes strikeand for holding evacuation drills and establish fire
defense organizations for self-protection*11 to carry out thenecessary operations in order to mitigate the damage fromfires and other disasters.
As of March 31, 2019, the number of properties underdisaster prevention measures that were legally required
to establish disaster protection management systems andappoint disaster protection managers came to 10,037
throughout Japan. Of these, 8,588, which corresponds to
85.6%, have appointed disaster protection managers andnotified firefighting agencies to this effect.
What is more, the number of properties under disasterprevention measures at which the disaster protection
manager has prepared firefighting plans for disasterprotection management, in order to carry out theappropriate disaster protection management operations attheir own offices and other establishments, and notified
firefighting agencies to this effect came to 8,058, or 80.3%of the total. The number of said properties that haveestablished fire defense organizations for self-protection
came to 8,870, or 88.4% of the total. (Attachment 1-1-42
untranslated)(1) Current Status for Onsite Inspections andCorrections of Violations
Firefighting agencies enter fire prevention properties toperform onsite inspections pursuant to the regulations ofArticle 4 of the Fire Service Act when it is necessary to doso for the sake of fire prevention.
The number of times onsite inspections were carried out
by firefighting agencies throughout Japan in FY2018 cameto 862,630. (Attachment 1-1-44 untranslated)
Fire chiefs or fire station chiefs may order measuresthat must be taken with respect to deficiencies in fire
protection management at the fire prevention properties,
fire protection equipment etc. that has not been installedat such properties, or other problems brought to lightthrough the onsite inspections. Such measures include
appointing fire protection managers and installing fire
protection equipment etc. or special fire protection
equipment etc., pursuant to the regulations in Article 8,
Article 8-2, or Article 17-4 of the Fire Service Act. In
cases where this is recognized as posing a hazard for fire
prevention, they can order that the necessary measures betaken, such as repairing or relocating the fire prevention
properties in question or removing the hazards from them,or else question or removing the hazards from them, orelse prohibiting or restricting their use, pursuant to theregulations in Article 5, Article 5-2, or Article 5-3 of theFire Service Act. The act states that they must publicly
announce when they issue orders such as these.
In cases where violations of fire prevention laws orordinances are discovered as a result of these onsite
inspections, the fire chief or fire station chief works toredress these violations to bring them back into legal
compliance, such as by issuing warnings or other remedial
instructions, orders, and so on. (Attachment 1-1-45, 46,
47, 48 untranslated)
Particularly for specified violating properties (thisrefers to specified fire prevention properties with a floorarea of 1,500m2 or more or unspecified fire prevention
properties with 11 or more floors, excluding the basement,
where sprinkler systems, indoor fire hydrants, or fire
alarm systems have not been installed in a majority of thesections where such equipment must be installed), strict
guidance is imposed based on the severity of the violation,such as those that pose a significant hazard to human lifein the event that a fire should break out.
As of March 31, 2019, there were 189 specified
violating properties, and so therefore it is necessary tocontinue working to thoroughly correct these violations ina focused manner. (Table 1-1-17)(2) Supervisors of Disaster Protection
Management
For those buildings that require disaster protection
management where management authority has been
divided up, the Fire Service Act stipulates that disasterprotection managers are to be appointed and carry out
disaster protection management for each of the various
areas which they have management authority over.
Conversely, it also stipulates that supervisors of disasterprotection management are to be appointed in consultation
with them in order to carry out disaster protection
management for the building as a whole in an integrated
manner. It mandates that the management officials
establish fire and disaster safety for the disaster prevention
properties as a whole.
As of March 31, 2019, the number of fire prevention
properties that were required to appoint supervisors of
disaster protection management came to 2,999 nationwide.
Of these, 2,700, which corresponds to 90.0%, haveappointed supervisors of disaster protection management
and notified firefighting agencies to this effect. What ismore, the number of disaster prevention properties thathave prepared firefighting plans for the sake of carryingout disaster protection management for the building as
a whole in an integrated manner and that have notified
firefighting agencies to this effect, came to 2,601, which is
86.7% of the total. (Attachment 1-1-43 untranslated)(2) Fire Safety Certification MarkThis new labeling system, which fire departments
throughout Japan were notified of in October 2013,*9

Firefighting plans for disaster protection management: These are plans that establish matters which are necessary for disaster protection
management.
*10 Disaster protection managers: People who have been appointed from among those management officials who have certain qualifications, suchas having completed a training course on disaster protection management, and who are in a managerial or supervisory position where they canappropriately carry out the operations necessary for disaster protection management at disaster prevention properties.
*11 Fire defense organizations for self-protection: These are personal organizations comprised of people like employees at properties under fire
prevention measures. They carry out the operations necessary in order to mitigate the damage from fires and other disasters when they occur basedon the roles established in the firefighting plan.

6

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Table 1-1-17 Trends in the improvement status of specified violating properties
Category
By FY

No. of violating properties at thestart of the FY(a)No. of properties that corrected
their violations during the FY(b)Correction rate(%)(c=b/ax100)

FY2009

301

63

20.9%

FY2010

299

69

23.1%

FY2011

389

37

9.5%

FY2012

179

46

25.7%

FY2013

230

54

23.5%

FY2014

249

56

22.5%

FY2015

331

100

30.2%

FY2016

359

125

34.8%

FY2017

392

151

38.5%

FY2018

240

96

39.6%

FY2019189－－(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on the Actual Conditions of Fire Prevention Properties”.
2 “No. of violating properties at the start of the FY” is the sum of properties that remained in violation from two fiscal years before and violating
properties that newly became aware they were in violation during the previous fiscal year at the end of the previous fiscal year for each fiscal
year (as of March 31).
3 “No. of properties that corrected their violations during the FY” is the number of properties that corrected their violation during the fiscal year (itdoes not include those that newly became aware of their violation or that were abandoned).

Table 1-1-18 Process status for fire consent
Gist ofapplication

Breakdown(Cases)Consent
FY2017

Dissent
FY2018FY2017Total
FY2018FY2017FY2018New construction

219,947

213,6451510219,962

213,655

Extension

19,254

18,5336

5

19,26018,538Reconstruction

653

665

0

0

653

665

Relocation

138

101

0

0

138

101

Repair

130

132

0

0

130

132

Remodeling

126

110

0

0

126

110

4,094

3,975

4

3

4,098

3,978

Change of classification
Other

3,074

2,690

2

1

3,076

2,691

Total

247,416

239,85127

19247,443

239,870(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on the Actual Conditions of Fire Prevention Properties”

provides users with information on a building’s
compliance with laws and ordinances related to fire
prevention and construction. Applications began
being tendered and received on April 1, 2014, andhotels, Japanese-style hotels, and other facilities begansequentially putting the silver display marks out on
display starting from August 1, 2014.
In addition, those hotels and other facilities that havebeen issued silver display marks for three years in a
row and which meet the standards related to laws andordinances on fire protection and construction are allowed
to display a gold display mark.
Visitors to the FDMA’s website can check to confirm
hotels that have been issued the Fire Safety Certification
Mark throughout Japan (reference URL: https://www.
fdma.go.jp/relocation/kasai_yobo/hyoujiseido/).

indoor fire hydrants, or fire alarm system, despite being
obligated to do so. This announcement system wasinitiated in all ordinance-designated cities starting from
April 2015.
What is more, fire departments overseeing populationsof 200,000 people or more are started utilizing this publicannouncement system starting from April 2018, andthose of less than 200,000 people have also started it
sequentially.
Information on things like the implementation statusof the public announcement system and its scheduled
implementation period for municipalities throughout
Japan can be confirmed via the FDMA’s website (reference
URL: https://www.fdma.go.jp/relocation/publication/).

(3) Initiation of a System for Publicly Announcing
Violating Properties
The System for Publicly Announcing Violating
Properties, which came about through a notification from
December 2013, is a system for announcing the details oflegal violations on the websites of municipal governments
based on the ordinances of said municipalities. Thisis aimed at specified properties under fire prevention
measures that have not yet installed sprinkler systems,(1) Current Status of Fire Prevention Consent
Fire prevention consent is a system that was establishedwith the goal of boosting the safety of buildings by having
personnel from firefighting agencies get involved in fire
prevention for buildings starting from the design stage intheir capacity as experts on fire prevention.
When it comes to the operation of this system, thefirefighting agencies offer finely-detailed examinations
and instructions based on legal regulations related to

6. Fire Protection Equipment etc.

7

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

building fire prevention from the perspective of fire
prevention safety and firefighting activities. They also
work to enhance structures and strengthen cooperation for
ensuring that this work is handled promptly.
The number of cases processed regarding fire
prevention consent work throughout Japan in FY2018
came to 239,870, with only 19 of these failing to receive
consent. (Table 1-1-18)

according to the purpose, size, structure, and capacity ofthe property in question.
A look at the installation status for primary fire
protection equipment etc. in specified fire prevention
properties throughout Japan reveals that, as of March 31,
2019, the installation rate for sprinkler systems (number
installed/number that needs to be installed) was 99.7%,
while that for automatic fire alarms was 99.1%. (Table
1-1-19)With respect to the technical standards pertaining
to fire protection equipment etc., regulations are being
successively set in place in accordance with technologicalprogress and societal demands. In recent years, a fireoccurred at a medical clinic in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka(2) Current Status for the Installation of Fire
Protection Equipment etc.
The Fire Service Act states that the relevant personnel
from fire prevention properties must install and properly
maintain the necessary fire protection equipment etc.

Table 1-1-19 Installation status for sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems at specified properties
under fire prevention measures throughout Japan(As of March 31, 2019)
Equipment typeClassification ofproperties
under fire prevention measures
(1)

(2)

(3)
(4)

Violations

Installed

Violations

Installation
rate (％)
99.7

Theaters, etc.

786

786

0

100.0

3,747

3,736

11

Public halls, etc.

540

537

3

99.4

31,262

31,216

46

99.9

a

Cabarets, etc.

4

4

0

100.0

457

447

10

97.8

b

Game centers, etc.

711

705

6

99.2

9,017

8,992

25

99.7

c

Stores engaged in sex-related businesses,
etc.

0

0

0

−

165

163

2

98.8

d

Karaoke box and stores, etc.

10

10

0

100.0

2,630

2,613

17

99.4

a

Restaurants, etc.

2

2

0

100.0

1,973

1,945

28

98.6

b

Eating and drinking houses

121

121

0

100.0

34,976

34,630

346

99.0

7,572

7,542

30

99.6

86,586

86,137

449

99.5

2,244

2,234

10

99.6

67,555

66,134

1,421

97.9

Hospitals that they need patient assistance(1)
for evacuation

3,766

3,749

17

99.5

6,128

6,118

10

99.8

Clinics with 19 beds or less that they needpatient assistance for evacuation

1,269

1,266

3

99.8

3,032

3,027

5

99.8

Hospitals(not including those listed in (1)),(3) Clinics with 19 beds or less(not including
those listed in (2)) and Birth center with bed

3,568

3,564

4

99.9

9,229

9,224

5

99.9

Clinics with no in-patient capacity, Birthcenter without bed

191

191

0

100.0

20,995

20,953

42

99.8

a

Hotels, etc.

(4)bSubtotal

8,794

8,770

24

99.7

39,38439,32262

99.8(1) Short-term welfare facilities for the elderly

40,39840,32969

99.8

42,69342,656

37

99.9
100.0

(2) Shelters

204

203

1

99.5

231

231

0

(3) Nurseries

122

119

3

97.5

150

148

2

98.7

(4) Welfare facilities for disabled children

422

421

1

99.8

485

484

1

99.8
99.8

(5) Support facilities for the disabled

6,072

6,049

23

99.6

7,033

7,019

14

47,21847,12197

99.8

50,59250,538

54

99.9

1,384

1,379

5

99.6

15,201

15,15447

99.7(2) Rehabilitation facilities

52

21

31

40.4

212

212

0

100.0
100.0

Subtotal(1) Elderly daycare centers, etc.

c

(16)

Installation Needs to berate (%)
installed

a

a

(9)

Number of Automatic fire alarm systems

b

(2)

(6)

Installed

Department stores, etc.

(5)

Number of Sprinkler systems

Equipment Needs to becondition
installed(3) Nursery schools, etc.

115

111

4

96.5

29,721

29,71011(4) Child development support centers, etc.

42

42

0

100.0

1,428

1,426

2

99.9

(5) Welfare centers for disabled persons, etc.

612

610

2

99.7

15,966

15,88482

99.5

Subtotal

2,205

2,163

42

98.1

62,52862,386

142

99.8

d

Kindergartens, etc.

216

216

0

100.0

14,616

14,610

6

100.0

a

Special bathhouses

19

19

0

100.0

1,371

1,368

3

99.8

a

Specified multipurpose fire prevention
properties

20,03819,98157

99.7

204,950

202,171

2,779

98.6

(16-2) Underground malls

59

59

0

100.0

61

61

0

100.0

(16-3) Semi-Underground malls

4

4

0

100.0

7

7

0

100.0

Total

90,54390,274

269

99.7

611,877

606,476

5,401

99.1

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on the Actual Conditions of Fire Prevention Properties”.
2 For the installation rate, the digits in the second decimal place were rounded off.

8

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
equipment engineers came to 1,201,667 (Attachment 1-149 untranslated). In addition, the number of fire protection

Prefecture in October 2013 (which left ten people deadand five injured). In light of this, it was mandated that
Clinics with 19 beds or less/Hospitals that they needpatient assistance for evacuation must install sprinkler
systems as a general rule, regardless of their floor area.
The installation of these sprinkler systems has been inforce since April 1, 2016 as a result of the Partial Revisionof the Order for Enforcement of the Fire Service Act andother legislation (promulgated on October 16, 2014).
At the time of enforcement, transitional measures that
equipment should be installed by June 30, 2025 were set
for existing facilities.
Moreover, large urban area fire occurred in Itoigawa
City, Niigata Prefecture in December 2016 (which left
30,213.45㎡ burned floor area). In light of this, it was
mandated that restaurants with equipment or appliancesthat use fire must install fire extinguishing equipment as a
general rule, regardless of their floor area. The installationof these has been carried out since October 1, 2019 as aresult of the Partial Revision of the Order for Enforcementof the Fire Service Act and other legislation (promulgatedon March 28, 2018).
Regarding properties that violate the Fire Service Act,
such as violation of the obligation to install fire protection
equipment, etc., the government will proactively issue
Administrative Order and other measures based on
the Fire Service Act and proceed prompt and effective
violations correction operation.

equipment inspectors came to 713 special inspectors (forspecial fire protection equipment etc.), 158,124 Class 1
inspectors (for mechanical systems) and 149,195 Class 2
inspectors (for electrical systems).
Programs for displaying that inspections have been
performed, in which inspection certificates of completionverifying that inspections of fire protection equipment
etc. have been properly carried out are posted, havebeen independently instituted at the prefectural level.
This is done in an effort to clarify the responsibilities for
performing inspections and have the relevant personnel
from fire prevention properties perform the proper
inspections.
(4) Flame Retardancy Regulations
A. Usage Status for Flame Retardant Goods
Using goods that resist catching fire for various
objects that tend to be easily flammable within buildings
prevents fires from breaking out and simultaneously
checks the spread of fires during their initial stages when
they do occur. As such, this is extremely effective whenit comes to preventing fires. Therefore, fire prevention
properties that must give forethought to fire prevention
due to their structural features or configuration, suchas high-rise buildings and underground malls, as wellas fire prevention properties like theaters, hotels, andhospitals that are used by large unspecified numbers ofpeople and people requiring special consideration havebeen designated as “flame retardancy and fire prevention
properties.” The Fire Service Act mandates that theseproperties use goods with the prescribed flame retardant
performance (hereafter referred to as “flame retardant
goods”) for the curtains, stage curtains, plywood display
boards, carpets, and other goods used (hereafter referred
to as “goods under the flame retardancy requirement”).
As of March 31, 2019, the number of flame retardancy
and fire prevention properties came to 977,729. The
conformance rate (share of the flame retardancy andfire prevention properties where flame retardant goods
are used for all of the goods under the flame retardancy
requirements at said properties) at flame retardancy andfire prevention properties using curtains and stage curtains
came to 88.1%, while it was 87.7% at those using carpets,and 84.7% at those using plywood display boards. (Table
1-1-20)						

(3) Fire Protection Equipment Engineers and Fire
Protection Equipment Inspectors
Efforts are made to ensure the performance of fire
protection equipment etc. via inspection system for fire
protection machinery and tools. However, if there are
deficiencies or defects at the installation stage, then such
equipment will be rendered incapable of performing
properly when a fire does occur. To prevent suchcircumstances, the installation and maintenance of certain
fire protection equipment etc. can only be performed byfire protection equipment engineers.
What is more, fire protection equipment etc. must be
properly maintained on a daily basis to ensure that it iscapable of performing at any and all times. As a result, it
has been mandated that periodic inspections be performed
and the results of these be reported. These inspections
premised on maintaining the equipment require knowledge
and skills with regards to the fire protection equipment etc.
Therefore, the relevant personnel from the fire prevention
properties must have fire protection equipment engineers
or fire protection equipment inspectors (people who havecompleted certain training courses offered by corporations
that have been registered by the Commissioner of the
FDMA and been issued a fire protection equipment
inspector certificate) perform the inspections on the fire
protection equipment etc.
Efforts are made to improve the quality of these fire
protection equipment engineers and fire protection
equipment inspectors by mandating that they undergo retraining at certain fixed intervals after they have received
their license in order for them to acquire new knowledge
and skills concerning the fire protection equipment etc.
Moreover, these people will be ordered to return theirlicense or face a similar punishment in the event that they
violate any of the fire prevention laws or ordinances.
As of March 31, 2019, the total number of fire protection

B. Public Awareness of Flame Retardant Goods for
Bedding and Other Goods
Aside from those goods under the flame retardancy
requirement stipulated in the Fire Service Act suchas curtains and carpets, using fireproof goods forfutons, pajamas, the body covers for automobiles andmotorcycles, and more is also extremely effective forpreventing fires. Therefore, the FDMA spreads publicawareness of these by uploading videos detailing theeffects from these flame retardant goods to its website(reference URL: https://www.fdma.go.jp/relocation/html/
life/yobou_contents/fire_retardant/).
(5) Regulations for Equipment and Tools that Use
Fire
From the perspective of fire prevention, the location,
construction, management, and handling of equipment

9Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Table 1-1-20 Number of flame retardancy and fire prevention properties and usage status of flame
retardant goods(As of March 31, 2019)
No. of flame
retardancy
Categories of flame retardancy and fireand fire
prevention properties
prevention
properties
(1)

(2)

(3)

Properties on theleft using all of thegoods under the flame
retardancy requirement

Use ofcurtains,
stage
curtains,
etc.

Properties on theleft using all of thegoods under the flame
retardancy requirement

Use ofcarpets

Compliance
rate (%)

Compliance
rate (%)

Properties on theleft using all of thegoods under the flame
retardancy requirement

Use ofplywooddisplayboardsCompliance
rate (%)

a

Theaters, etc.

4,286

2,654

2,525

95.1

1,979

1,874

94.7

480

458

95.4

b

Public halls, etc.

63,09242,49438,783

91.3

25,29522,618

89.4

4,445

3,907

87.9

a

Cabarets, etc.

843

413

321

77.7

436

362

83.0

46

43

93.5

b

Game centers, etc.

9,476

4,710

4,250

90.2

4,357

4,010

92.0

669

591

88.3

c

S
 tores engaged in sexrelated businesses, etc.

192

121

104

86.0

99

85

85.9

7

4

57.1

d

Karaoke box and stores, etc.

2,571

1,365

1,224

89.7

1,121

1027

91.6

185

167

90.3

a

Restaurants, etc.

2,703

1,682

1,434

85.3

1,548

1,341

86.6

173

137

79.2

b

Eating and drinking houses

80,58839,92433,15083.0

23,81519,984

83.9

4,268

3,663

85.8

(4)

Department stores, etc.

152,895

64,02858,42991.3

33,40829,766

89.1

8,312

7,169

86.2

(5)

a

Hotels, etc.

57,86946,11542,39991.937,52434,722

92.5

2,847

2,523

88.6

a

Hospitals, etc.

60,75844,91842,32894.2

24,99923,241

93.0

4,110

3,723

90.6

b

S
 pecial elderly nursing
homes, etc.

47,83539,63337,66395.0

22,705

21,489

94.6

3,811

3,516

92.3

c

Elderly daycare centers, etc.

79,68759,28955,334

93.3

33,52930,623

91.3

5,533

5,023

90.8

d

Kindergartens, etc.

15,981

12,478

11,649

93.4

6,492

5,972

92.0

1,070

955

89.3

(9)

a

Special bathhouses

1,405

1,078

948

87.9

1,024

942

92.0

65

48

73.8

(12)

b

Studios

428

175

155

88.6

132

120

90.9

83

67

80.7

a

S
 pecified multipurpose fire
prevention properties

322,706

145,464

116,42780.0

95,14977,09381.0

17,788

13,68776.9

b U nspecified multipurpose fire
prevention properties

20,834

3,157

2,448

77.5

2,137

1,636

76.6

915

712

77.8

61

54

43

79.6

47

40

85.1

16

14

87.5

7

6

4

66.7

5

4

80.0

1

1

100.0

(6)

(16)

(16-2) Underground malls(16-3)

Semi-underground malls
High-rise buildings
Total

53,512

24,07920,48985.1

21,306

18,600

87.3

4,172

3,548

85.0

977,729

533,837

470,10788.1

337,107295,549

87.7

58,99649,956

84.7(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on the Actual Conditions of Fire Prevention Properties”.
2 High-rise buildings (buildings that are taller than 31m) are not classified within Appended Table I of the Ordinance of Enforcement for the Fire
Service Act. Moreover, fire prevention properties that correspond to high-rise buildings were counted in the “High-rise buildings” field withinthe “Classification of fire prevention properties” column.

and tools that use fire, including home gas burners, stoves,
hot-water heaters, fireplaces, kitchen equipment, andsauna equipment, are regulated via the fire prevention
ordinances established by each municipality. Theseare established pursuant to the Ministerial Ordinance
Establishing Standards for Enacting Ordinances on the
Location, Construction, and Management of Eligible
Equipment that Uses Fire and the Handling of Eligible
Tools that Use Fire.

These inspections consist of “model approval”(approval indicating that the shape and other factorsof the machinery and tools conform with the technicalspecifications established in ministerial ordinances) and“model compliance inspections” (inspections conducted toconfirm that the shape and other factors of the individualmachinery and tools subject to inspection are identicalto the shape and so forth for models of said equipmentthat have received model approval). (Attachment 1-1-50
untranslated)
Moreover, for machinery and tools subject to inspection
with regard to the development of new technologies,
inspections can be carried out via the technicalspecifications established by the Minister of Internal
Affairs and Communications for those items that conformto the technical standards established by said ministerial
ordinance in terms of their shape or the like, or thoseacknowledged as having performance that meets orexceeds this level. Through this, the aim is to enhance
the inspection system so as to promote technologicalinnovation with these machinery and tools subject toinspection.
Regarding the inspection system, it came to light thatcases of misconduct occurred in October 2008, including
test samples being secretly switched out during model

7. Inspection System for Fire Protection
Machinery and Tools etc.
(1) Inspections
Fire protection machinery or tools that are subject toinspection (hereafter referred to as “machinery and tools
subject to inspection”) are prohibited from being sold,displayed for commercial purposes, and so forth unlessthey pass inspections and include a label indicating thispursuant to the regulations of Article 21-2 of the Fire
Service Act.
The machinery and tools subject to inspection include
the 12 items stipulated in Article 37 of the Order for
Enforcement of the Fire Service Act, including fire
extinguishers and enclosed sprinkler heads.

10Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

compliance inspections for fire hoses. Moreover, in March2010 it was discovered that fire-extinguishing foam usedin the compressed air foam apparatuses on fire trucks
that had not been inspected was being sold. As part ofthe public service corporation program review carriedout in May 2010, evaluation results were issued to theeffect that reassessments were to be made with a view
towards expanding both voluntary screenings and theincreased involvement of the private sector when it comesto inspections. Based on this, the Act for Partial Revisionof the Fire Service Act was enacted on April 1, 2013. Thisestablished collection orders via the Minister of Internal
Affairs and Communications and strengthened penal
provisions in cases where machinery and tools subject toinspection not in compliance with the standards or which
lacked labels indicating their compliance were circulatingon the market.
It also relaxed requirements in order to promote theentry of private companies into the registered inspection
body market, among its other stipulations.
Moreover, the Partial Revision of the Order for the
Enforcement of the Fire Service Act, which enacted
on April 1, 2013, made machinery and tools subject toinspections, mainly the fire hoses and couplers used by
firefighting agencies and the electric leak alarms, forwhich there has been declining need due to changes in
the configurations of buildings, items that are subject toself-labeling. At the same time, the ordinance for Partial
Revision of the ordinance of Enforcement for the Fire
Service Act enacted on April 1, 2014. It also newly added
residential fire alarms, which are required to be installed
in all homes, to the machinery and tools subject toinspection.

but which frequently suffer from rupture accidents and thelike, were newly added to this category.
The number of reports from manufacturers in FY2018
came to 23 for power fire pumps, 50 for fire hoses, 0 for
fire suction hose, 4 for couplers, 0 for disposable aerosol
fire extinguishers, and 0 for electric leak alarms.

8. Performance Inspections of TechnicalStandard for Fire Protection Equipment etc.
When it comes to the technical standards for fire
protection equipment etc., oftentimes details like materials
or dimensions are prescribed in specification documentsor the like. This makes it difficult for new technologies
to gain acceptance, even when they offer satisfactory
performance. Therefore, technical development for thefields of fire and other disaster prevention is promoted andperformance regulations are adopted to ensure that evenmore effective fire prevention and safety measures can beestablished.
The basic philosophy behind this is to judge whether
equipment offers performance that is at or above thelevel of performance of the installed fire protection
equipment etc. based on the conventional technicalstandards. Equipment that has been confirmed to be at or
above the conventional performance level is approved
for installation in place of the existing fire protection
equipment etc.
The performance demanded of fire protection equipment
etc. is divided up into three categories. These are “initial
spread inhibition performance,” which is performancefor inhibiting the spread of fires during the initial stages,“evacuation safety support performance,” which is
performance that supports safely evacuating during fires,and “firefighting activity support performance,” whichis performance that supports the activities of firefighting
teams.
A certain body of knowledge has been gained regardingthese, on which their equivalence is evaluated via
objective verification methods (methods of objectively
and impartially verifying newly developed technologies
and technical innovations) and so forth.
At the same time, a certification system via the
Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications has been
established aimed at equipment for which evaluationsof its equivalence cannot be performed solely throughthe existing objective verification methods (such as
special fire protection equipment etc.). Under thissystem, applications are made for each property underfire prevention measures regarding special fire protection
equipment etc. for which general inspection standards
have not have established. The Minister of Internal Affairs
and Communications will then perform an examination
based on the evaluation results from a performance
evaluation agency (the Japan Fire Equipment Inspection
Institute or a registered inspection body), and equipmentthat has been acknowledged as having the necessary levelof performance can be installed. As of March 31, 2019,68 cases have received certification thus far as special
fire protection equipment etc. ( Attachment 1-1-51
untranslated)
The expectation is that, by applying these regulations,
new equipment that uses new technologies will be
proactively developed and disseminated.

(2) Self-labelingWith the self-labeling system, it is the responsibilityof the manufacturers to confirm their compliance withspecifications on their own according to the regulations in
Article 21-16 (3) of the Fire Service Act. The system also
gives approval for labeling models that have been reported
to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications inadvance.
Machinery and tools that are subject to self-labeling(hereafter referred to as “machinery and tools subject toself-labeling”) are prohibited from being sold, displayedfor commercial purposes, and so forth unless they include
a label pursuant to the regulations of Article 21-16 (2) ofthe Fire Service Act.
Similar to machinery and tools subject to inspection,
the Act for Partial Revision of the Fire Service Act, which
enacted on April 1, 2013, established collection orders
via the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications
and strengthened penal provisions for machinery andtools subject to self-labeling not in compliance withthe standards or which lacked labels indicating theircompliance.
Items that fall under the category of machinery andtools subject to self-labeling include power fire pumps
and fire suction hoses. Furthermore, as a result of thePartial Revision of the Order for Enforcement of the Fire
Service Act and other legislation, which enacted on April
1, 2014, the fire hoses, couplers, and electric leak alarmsthat had previously been counted as machinery and tools
subject to inspection, as well as the disposable aerosol fire
extinguishers that are generally in widespread circulation

11

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Table 1-1-21 Investigations into the causes of fires by the Commissioner of the FDMA that wererecently conducted and responses based on the results of these№

Date of fire

Location

Building purpose, etc.

Responses by FDMA1

May 13, 2012

Fukuyama City,
Hiroshima Prefecture

Hotel(10 casualties)

Revised the Order for Enforcement of the Fire Service Act and other legislation, andstrengthened installation standards for automatic fire alarms.
Also restructured and began applying a labeling system that provides users withinformation on that conform to the fire prevention standards in fire
prevention laws and ordinances.

2

February 8, 2013

Nagasaki City,
Nagasaki PrefectureGroup home
(12 casualties)

Revised the Order for Enforcement of the Fire Service Act and other legislation.
Strengthened installation standards for sprinkler systems and mandated that
automatic fire alarms and fire notification alarms be interlinked.

3

August 15, 2013

Fukuchiyama City,
Kyoto Prefecture

Fireworks festival(59 casualties)

Revised the Order for Enforcement of the Fire Service Act and the Fire Prevention
Ordinance (Example). Mandated the submission of plans related to operations
necessary for fire prevention at outdoor event venue at or above a certain size, andmandated that fire extinguishers be prepared.

4

October 11, 2013

Fukuoka City,
Fukuoka Prefecture

Medical clinic(15 casualties)

Revised the Order for Enforcement of the Fire Service Act and other legislation.
Reassessed the installation standards for fire extinguishing equipment, indoor fire
hydrants, sprinkler systems, power fire pump equipment, and fire alarms that notify
firefighting agencies.

are conducted based on the knowledge and data obtained
from the investigations, and this is reflected in policies forfire defense administration. Cases where responses such asrevising fire prevention laws and ordinances were carriedout based on the results of investigations into the causes offires by the Commissioner of the FDMA that were carriedout recently are shown in Table 1-1-21.
In an effort to improve the effectiveness of investigations
into the causes of fires regarding product fires, the Act for
Partial Revision of the Fire Service Act (Law No. 38 from2012) enacted on April 1, 2013, which granted firefighting
agencies the right to issue an order to submit materials
to manufacturers and importers and the right to collectinformation from them.

9. Current Status of Investigations into
the Causes of Fires
Advances in science and technology have brought about
increasing sophistication for industry and changes in social
conditions. This has resulted in a tendency for fires thatare large in scale and which assume aspects of complexity
to occur with great frequency, and so investigating thecauses behind these requires sophisticated expertise.
What is more, investigating the causes of fires andilluminating the extent of the damage caused by both fires
and firefighting are crucial when it comes to examining
modalities for subsequent fire prevention administration.
Investigating the causes of fires is unequivocally therole of local governments, but it is the duty of the national
government to complement them in this.
In cases where there has been a request from afirefighting agency, or the Commissioner of the FDMA
has deemed that there is a particular necessity in doing so,an investigation into the causes of a fire can be carried out
by the Commissioner of the FDMA.
Investigation teams formed from personnel fromthe FDMA according to the type of fire carry out theinvestigations into the causes of the fire through thissystem in coordination with firefighting agencies. Reviews

10. Promoting Countermeasures to
Product Fires
In recent years, as the causes of fires has grown
extremely diverse, the products close to the generalpublic in their daily lives have begun causing fires as
well, including automobiles and other vehicles, electronic
appliances, and burning appliances. Given the strong
demands to ensure consumer safety and peace of mind,
the FDMA has been strengthening its initiatives to combat

Fig. 1-1-19 Trends in the survey results on product fires over the past five years(Note) See the FDMA website for details (URL : https://www.fdma.go.jp/mission/prevention/cause/34530.html).

12

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

these product fires.
For such fires, the FDMA has established a structure
whereby it collects fire information from firefighting
agencies in a comprehensive manner and aggregates thenumber of fires for each type of product which serveas the ignition source. It then provides the public withwarnings and alerts quickly and effectively by announcing
information like the names of faulty products and their
manufacturers every quarter.
Fires that firefighting agencies deemed to have beencaused by defects in automobiles and other vehicles, aswell as electronic appliances and burning appliances, that
occurred in FY2018 were aggregated. From this, it was
discovered that of the total of 735 product fires, 186 were
fires deemed to have been caused by product defects, 454
were fires that could not be determined to have occurredfrom a defect in a specified product as the direct cause
although the cause was identified, and fires where thecause could not be identified, and 95 were fires that are
still currently under investigation. (Fig. 1-1-19)
The results of these investigations are reported to
firefighting agencies throughout Japan. Furthermore, thecollected fire information is shared between the Consumer
Affairs Agency, the Ministry of Economy, Trade andIndustry, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport
and Tourism, and the National Institute of Technology
and Evaluation (NITE), which work together to promote
countermeasures to product fires.
What is more, with respect to investigations into
the causes of fires carried out by firefighting agencies
throughout Japan, efforts are also being made to improve
the investigation skills of the firefighting agencies.
Examples of this include providing them with technicalsupport such as scientific investigation based on the expert
knowledge and equipment and materials of the National
Research Institute of Fire and Disaster and so forth. In
addition to working to enhance investigations into thecauses of fires and the structures for this, the FDMA
also strives to proactively collect information on productfires and strengthen collaborations with the relevant
agencies. Through this, it is moving forward with ensuringconsumer safety and peace of mind, while also preventing
fire accidents caused by products.

-omitted-

13

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

2

SectionCountermeasures to Disasters at
Facilities for Hazardous Materials☞ Japanese Original P.99

since 1989, despite the fact that the number of facilities forhazardous materials has decreased. Accidents attributableto human factors such as inadequate maintenance andinadequate operating checks account for the majority ofthe primary causes for these.

Current Status and Recent Trends in Disasters
at Facilities for Hazardous Materials
Accidents at facilities for hazardous materials*1 arebroadly classified into fires (including explosions) andspills of hazardous materials*2. The number of fire andspillage accidents at facilities for hazardous materials havebeen trending upward since 1994. In FY2018, there were
206 fires and 403 spills for a total of 609 accidents. This
represents an increase of 45 accidents compared with theprevious year. This number is the highest ever. (Fig. 1-21)(1) Number of Fire Accidents at Facilities for
Hazardous Materials and the Damage
The number of fire accidents that occurred at facilities
for hazardous materials in 2018 came to 206 (11 morethan the previous year), the amount of damages came to2,419 million yen (a decrease of 249 million yen yearon-year), and they resulted in 2 deaths (the same as theprevious year) and 120 people injured (an increase of 69
people year-on-year). (Fig. 1-2-2)
Moreover, looking at the number of fire accidents that
occurred by type of facility for hazardous materials reveals
that the majority occurred at general outlets, followed bymanufacturing facilities and fuel supply depots in thatorder. The total for these 3 facility classifications accountfor 93.7% of the total accidents. (Fig. 1-2-3)

1. Fire Accidents
The number of fire accidents that occurred at facilities
for hazardous materials in 2018 was 206. This rose byroughly 1.9-times compared with the 107 such accidents
in 1993, which had the lowest number of fire accidents*1

Facilities for hazardous materials: These are facilities that have received authorization from municipal mayors and similar officials as facilities that
store or handle hazardous materials at or above the quantities specified in the Fire Service Act. As described below, they are classified into three
types: manufacturing facilities, storage facilities, and handling facilities
Classification

Details

Manufacturing facilities

Storage facilities

Handling facilities*2

Facilities that manufacture hazardous materials (Ex.: Chemical plants, oil refineries)

Indoor storage facilities

Store hazardous materials inside buildings

Outdoor storage tanks

Store hazardous materials in tanks located outdoors (Ex.: oil tanks)

Indoor storage tanks

Store hazardous materials in tanks located indoors

Underground storage tanks

Store hazardous materials in tanks located below the ground’s surface

Simple storage tanks

Stores hazardous materials in small tanks less than 600 L

Transfer storage tanks

Store hazardous materials in tanks that have been affixed to vehicles (Ex.: Tanker trucks)

Outdoor storage facilities

Store certain hazardous materials in containers in outdoor locations

Fuel supply depots

Handling facilities that fuel vehicles and the like (Ex.: Gas stations)

Sales handling facilities

Stores that sell containers full of hazardous materials

Transfer handling facilities

Handling facilities that transfer hazardous materials through pipes (Ex.: Pipelines)

General outlets

Handling facilities other than the three types of handling facilities above (Ex.: Boilers, private power generators)

Hazardous materials: The Fire Service Act (Article 2-7) defines them as such: “The term ‘hazardous materials’ means the materials listed in theNames of Items column of Appended Table 1, which have the properties listed in the Nature column of said table according to the Categories
specified in said table.” Moreover, the properties of each hazardous material are defined for each type in the “Remarks” to Appended Table I of theFire Service Act.
[Hazardous materials listed in Appended Table I and their characteristics]
Category

NatureProperties

Representative substances

Category 1 Oxidizing solids

These are solids that do not burn themselves, but which have the property of
causing other substances to oxidize powerfully. When mixed with inflammablematerials, they degrade as a result of heat, impacts, or friction, and give rise to
extremely intense combustion.

Sodium chlorate, potassium nitrate,
ammonium nitrate

Category 2 Combustible solids

These are solids that easily ignite from fire or solids that easily catch fire at
relatively low temperatures (less than 40℃). They easily catch fire, are quick to
combust, and are difficult to extinguish.

Red phosphorous, sulfur, ironpowder, solid alcohol, lacquer putty

Spontaneously combustible
These substances spontaneously combust when exposed to air, or either combust Sodium, alkyl aluminum, yellow
Category 3 substances and water-reactive
or generate combustible gasses when they come into contact with water.
phosphorous
substances
Category 4 Inflammable liquids

These are liquids that are inflammable.

Gasoline, kerosene, light oil, heavy
oil, acetone, methanol

Category 5 Self-reactive substances

These are solids or liquids that generate large quantities of heat at relatively low
temperatures or promote explosive reactions as a result of thermolysis and otherreactions.

Nitroglycerin, trinitrotoluene,hydroxylamine

Category 6 Oxidizing liquids

These are liquids that do not burn themselves, but which have the property ofpromoting the combustion of other flammable substances they are mixed with.

Perchloric acid, hydrogen peroxide,
nitric acid14

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Fig. 1-2-1 Trends in the number of fire and spillage accidents at facilities for hazardous materials(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous Materials”.
2 In order to get a grasp of trends regarding the number of accidents that occur in each year, accidents are listed by splitting them up into thenumber of accidents caused by earthquakes with a seismic intensity of six-lower or greater (since September 1996 this was changed to aseismic intensity of six or greater) and the number attributable to other causes.

Fig. 1-2-2 Number of fire accidents at facilities for hazardous materials and the damage(Notes)

Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous Materials”.

Conversely, 102 of the 206 fire accidents (or 49.5% of
the total) were cases where a hazardous material served as
the causative agent for the fire. (Fig. 1-2-4)

from ignition due to overheating (a decrease of 3 year-onyear). (Fig. 1-2-6)(3) Fire Accidents at Unauthorized Facilities
The number of fire accidents that occurred at facilities
which were supposed to receive authorization as facilities
for hazardous materials yet which failed to do so (hereafterreferred to as “unauthorized facilities”) in 2018 came to2 (an increase of 1 year-on-year), and they left 0 people
dead (the same as the previous year) and 1 injured (anincrease of 1 year-on-year).

(2) Causative Factors behind the Fire Accidents
at Facilities for Hazardous Materials
A look at the causative factors behind the fire accidents
at facilities for hazardous materials that occurred in 2018
reveals that human factors accounted for 53.4%; physicalfactors accounted for 28.6%; and the total for othercauses, unknown, and under investigation came to 18.0%.
(Fig. 1-2-5)
When viewed by ignition source, those ignited by hightemperature surface heat was most common at 37 (anincrease of 2 year-on-year), followed by 32 from static
electricity sparks (an increase of 10 year-on-year) and 21(4) Fire Accidents during the Transportation ofHazardous Materials
In 2018, 2 fire accidents during the transportation of
hazardous materials occurred (an increase of 1 year on

15

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Fig. 1-2-3 Number of fire accidents by type of
facility for hazardous materials

Fig. 1-2-4 Number of fire accidents by causative
agent for the fire

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.         2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the totals may not be consistent.

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the totals may not be consistent.

Fig. 1-2-5 Number of fire accidents by causative
factorFig. 1-2-6 Number of fire accidents by ignition
source(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the totals may not be consistent.

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.         2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the totals may not be consistent.

year), with no casualties occurring as continuation from2017.

in 2018 was 403. This rose by roughly 2.3-times comparedwith the 174 such accidents in 1994, which had the lowest
number of spillage accidents since 1989, despite the factthat the number of facilities for hazardous materials has
decreased. As for the primary causative factors, accidents
attributable to human factors and those caused by physicalfactors both occur in large numbers. However, of those
accidents caused by physical factors, the number caused byage-related deterioration, such as corrosion fatigue, are on
the rise.

(5) Fire Accidents during the Temporary Storage
or HandlingIn 2018, 1 fire accidents during the temporary storage
or handling of hazardous materials occurred (an increaseof 1 year on year) and they left 0 people dead (the same as
the previous year) and 1 injured (an increase of 1 year-onyear).

(1) Number of Spillage Accidents at Facilities for
Hazardous Materials and the Damage
The number of spillage accidents involving hazardous
materials that occurred at facilities for hazardous materials

2. Spillage Accidents
The number of spillage accidents involving hazardous
materials that occurred at facilities for hazardous materials

16Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters(which did not turn into fires) in 2018 came to 403 (anincrease of 34 year-on-year), the amount of damages cameto 495 million yen (an increase of 61 million yen yearon-year), and they left 0 people dead (the same as theprevious year) but left 27 people injured (a decrease of 2
people year-on-year). (Fig. 1-2-7)
Moreover, looking at the number of spillage accidents
that occurred by type of facility for hazardous materials
reveals that the majority occurred at general outlets,
followed by fuel supply depots and outdoor storage tankfacilities in that order. (Fig. 1-2-8)
Conversely, 98.8% of the number of spillage accidents
at facilities for hazardous materials involved spills ofClass 4 hazardous materials, which consist primarilyof petroleum products. Viewing this item type reveals
that Class 1 petroleums (gasoline, etc.) accounts formost of these, followed by Class 2 petroleums (light oil,etc.), Class 3 petroleums (heavy oil, etc.), and Class 4
petroleums (gear oil, etc.) in that order. (Fig. 1-2-9)(2) Causative Factors behind the Spillage
Accidents at Facilities for Hazardous Materials
A look at the causative factors behind the spillage
accidents at facilities for hazardous materials that occurredin 2018 reveals that human factors accounted for 37.2%,
physical factors accounted for 53.3% and the total forother causes, unknown, and under investigation came to
9.4%. When viewed by causative factor, those caused by

Fig. 1-2-7 Number of spillage accidents at facilities for hazardous materials and the damage(Nots) Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous Materials”.

Fig. 1-2-8 Number of spillage accidents by typeof facility for hazardous materials

Fig. 1-2-9 Number of spillage accidents bymaterial spilled(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.         2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the   totals may not be consistent.

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the   totals may not be consistent.

17Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters☞ Japanese Original P.103

Fig. 1-2-10 Number of spillage accidents by
causative factor

Current Status of Hazardous Materials Administration
1. Regulations on Hazardous Materials(1) Regulatory Structure for Hazardous Materials
The Fire Service Act designates substances withproperties such as: (1) Carrying a significant risk of
causing a fire, (2) Carrying a significant risk of spreadinga fire once one starts, and (3) Being difficult to extinguishwhen a fire does break out, as “hazardous materials.”(see P.14 *2). Enacting safety regulations for the storage,
handling and transportation of these hazardous materials
has been posited as a move that will prevent fires; protect
the lives, health, and property of the public from fires; andmitigate the damage from fires.
Regulations concerning hazardous materials havebeen instituted in a uniform manner throughout Japanthrough the partial revisions to the Fire Service Act of1959 and by enacting cabinet orders on regulations forhazardous materials. Since then, efforts like revising therelevant legislation to ensure that it contains content likeestablishing necessary and sufficient technical standards
that are safer for facilities for hazardous materials (seeP.14 *1) have sequentially been carried out in striving tothoroughly ensure safety at such facilities.
An overview of the regulations on hazardous materials
is shown below. (Fig. 1-2-11)−H a z a r d o u s m a t e r i a l s o f v o l u m e s a t o r a b o v e
the designated quantities (the quantity at whichauthorization is necessary to store or handle a material
as designated by the Fire Service Act) cannot be
stored or handled at locations other than facilities forhazardous materials. Persons attempting to establish
a facility for hazardous materials must ensure it is incompliance with the standards regarding its location,
structure, and equipment specified by law, andreceive authorization from the municipal mayor forthis.
−T he transportation of hazardous materials must be
carried out in accordance with the standards for
ensuring safety specified in law, regardless of how large
or small the quantity is.
−Standards for the storage and handling of hazardous
materials in volumes less than the designated quantities
are to be established via municipal ordinances.

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the   totals may not be consistent.

deterioration such as corrosion fatigue were most common
at 130 (an increase of 9 year-on-year), followed by 58
from inadequate operating checks (an increase of 16 yearon-year) and 35 damage (a decrease of 7 year-on-year).
(Fig. 1-2-10)(3) Spillage Accidents at Unauthorized Facilities
The number of spillage accidents that occurred atunauthorized facilities in 2018 came to 7 (an increaseof 4 year-on-year), with no casualties occurring as acontinuation from 2017.
(4) Spillage Accidents during the Transportationof Hazardous Materials
The number of spillage accidents that occurred during
the transportation of hazardous materials in 2018 came to
12 (a decrease of 1 year-on-year), and they left 0 people
dead (the same as the previous year), 1 people were
injured (a decrease of 4 year-on-year).
(5) Spillage Accidents during the Temporary
Storage or HandlingContinuing from 2017, no spillage accidents during
the temporary storage or handling of hazardous materials
occurred in 2018.

(2) Current Status of Facilities for Hazardous
Materials
A. Number of Facilities for Hazardous Materials

The total number of facilities for hazardous materials

Fig. 1-2-11 Regulatory structure
Storage andhandling

For quantities at or over those listed in Appended Table III of
the Cabinet Order on Control of Hazardous Materials

For quantities less than those listed in Appended Table III of
the Cabinet Order on Control of Hazardous Materials
Transport

Regulated via the Fire Service Act regardless of quantity

18

Regulated via the Fire Service Act as facilities forhazardous materials
Regulated via the Fire Service Act as temporary storage
or handling in the event it is stored or handled on an
extraordinary basis
Regulated via municipal ordinancesChapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Table 1-2-1 Trends in the number of facilities for hazardous material
Year

Facility
Manufacturing facilities

2015
(A)

2016

2018
(B)

2017

(As of March 31 of each year)
Rate of change (%)

2019
(C)

(C/A-1)×100(C/B-1)×100

5,106

5,088

5,096

5,093

5,098

△ 0.2

△ 0.1

Indoor storage facilities

50,55350,20150,02349,811

49,717

△ 1.7

△ 0.4

Outdoor storage tanks

63,09362,12061,12460,36059,699

△ 5.4

△ 1.2

Indoor storage tanks

11,021

10,802

10,586

10,386

10,170

△ 7.7

△ 1.9

Underground storage tanks

85,49983,341

81,41779,723

77,988

△ 8.8

△ 2.1

Simple storage tanks

1,019

1,002

986

961

940

△ 7.8

△ 2.5

Transfer storage tanks

67,49867,17066,73365,80665,425

△ 3.1

△ 1.4

Outdoor storage facilities

10,351

10,213

9,994

9,832

9,702

△ 6.3

△ 1.6

Subtotal

289,034

284,849

280,863

276,879

273,641

△ 5.3

△ 1.4

Fuel supply depots

62,26961,40160,58559,71558,865

△ 5.5

△ 1.4

Class 1 sales handling facilities

1,209

1,178

1,138

1,107

1,078

△ 10.8△ 2.7

Handling Class 2 sales handling facilities
facilities Transfer handling facilities

518

510

499

493

482

△ 6.9

△ 1.2

1,127

1,111

1,098

1,084

1,077

△ 4.4

△ 1.3

General outlets

62,766

62,097

61,37260,86760,398

△ 3.8

△ 0.8

Subtotal

127,889

126,297

124,692

123,266

121,900

△ 4.7

△ 1.1

422,029

416,234

410,651405,238

400,639

△ 5.1

△ 1.3

Storagefacilities

Total(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous Materials”.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so in some cases the totals may not be consistent.

Fig. 1-2-12 Number of facilities for hazardous
materials by classification

Fig. 1-2-13 Composition rate of facilities forhazardous materials by size

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the totals may not be consistent.

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on Regulation Work ofHazardous Materials”.        2 The factors are multiples obtained dividing the largest
quantities stored or the largest quantities handled by the
specified quantities stipulated in Appended Table Ⅲ of the
Cabinet Order on Control of Hazardous Materials.
             3 The second decimal places were rounded up, so in somecases the totals may not align.

quantities or less account for 75.6% of the total. (Fig. 1-2-

(number of facilities for construction permits) as of March
31, 2019 came to 400,639. (Table 1-2-1)
A look at the share of facilities by their classification
reveals that storage facilities account for the majority at
68.3%, followed by handling facilities at 30.4% and thenmanufacturing facilities at 1.3%. (Fig. 1-2-12)13)(3) Hazardous Material Engineers
Hazardous material engineers are classified into
three types. Class A engineers can handle all hazardous
materials, Class B engineers can handle types of hazardous
materials for which they have obtained approval, andClass C engineers can handle designated hazardous
materials from among the type 4. When hazardous
material engineers or someone else handles hazardous
materials at facilities for hazardous materials, a Class A
or Class B hazardous material engineer must be present toensure safety.

B. Composition of Facilities for Hazardous
Materials by Size
As for the number of facilities by size (according to
the maximum storage quantity or the maximum handlingquantity) of the total number of facilities for hazardous
materials as of March 31, 2019, those facilities forhazardous materials that hold 50-times the designated19Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

As of March 31 2019, the (cumulative) total numberof people who have passed the hazardous material
engineer test since the hazardous material engineer
system was launched came to 9,602,611 people. They
play a significant role in ensuring safety at facilities forhazardous materials.

for handling hazardous materials offered by prefectural
governors (safety training courses) within each threeyear period (starting from April 1, 2012, within three
years from the first April 1 since the date on which thehazardous material engineer license was issued or the datethey took the safety training course).
In FY2018, safety training courses were held a totalof 1,452 times throughout Japan (a decrease of 8 times
year-on-year), and were attended by 182,800 people (anincrease of 12,513 people year-on-year). (Table 1-2-2)

A. Hazardous Material Engineer Tests
Hazardous material engineer tests were held 3,544
times throughout Japan in FY2018 (an increase of 140
year-on-year). They were taken by 355,361 people (adecrease of 25,682 people year-on-year), with 160,195
people passing (a decrease of 183 people year-on-year)
for an average pass rate of roughly 45.1% (an increase of
3 points year-on-year). (Fig. 1-2-14)
Viewing the situation by test type and category reveals
that 67.6% of the people took the test for Class B, Type4, followed by Class C at 8.4% of the total. These twotest types accounted for 76.0% of the total. The numberof people who passed these two test types accounted for
68.1% of the total.

(4) Safety Systems at Offices
As of March 31, 2019, the total number of businessestablishments that owned facilities for hazardous
materials came to 183,082 throughout Japan. In an effort toestablish safety systems at business establishments, it has
been mandated that the owners of facilities for hazardous
materials that store or handle hazardous materials at or
above certain quantities must carry out certain obligations.
These include appointing hazardous materials security
superintendents, appointing safety officers for facilities
for hazardous materials (1,615 business establishments),
and preparing fire and disaster prevention rules (43,006
business establishments). Moreover, it has been mandated
that said business establishments that own certain facilities
for hazardous materials and that store or handle hazardous

B. Safety Training Courses
As a general rule, the hazardous material engineers
engaged in handling hazardous materials at facilities forhazardous materials must take a training course on safety

Fig. 1-2-14 Holding of tests for hazardous material engineers(Note) Prepared based on “The Statistical Table for the Testing and Certification of Hazardous Material Engineer” and “The Fire Protection Engineers by
the Japan Fire Engineering Qualification Center”.

Table 1-2-2 Number of attendees at safety training courses for hazardous material engineers and a
breakdown of this by type of hazardous material engineer certifications(As of March 31 of each FY)
Category

FY

No. ofattendees

Class AClass B
Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Group 5

Group 6

SubtotalClass CTotal
by typeNo. of training
courses2014

162,977

14,002

9,032

10,046

8,294

146,800

9,476

10,388

194,036

27,502

235,540

1,363

2015

178,843

14,2809,507

10,554

9,008

152,324

10,362

11,248203,003

25,473242,756

1,407

2016

178,002

14,182

10,702

11,581

10,129153,091

11,452

11,991

208,946

24,660247,788

1,467

2017

170,287

14,21910,536

11,511

9,739

142,322

11,125

11,664

196,897

23,815234,931

1,460

2018

182,800

14,813

11,215

11,721

10,106

153,670

11,526

12,444

210,682

24,402249,897

1,452

20

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Fig. 1-2-15 Trends in orders for measures related to facilities for hazardous materials(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on Regulation work of Hazardous Materials”.

materials at or above certain quantities must establish
fire defense organizations for self-protection (75 businessestablishments) and appoint hazardous material safety
supervising managers (205 business establishments).

measures related to standards for installing, constructing,or establishing equipment, and more.
In FY2018 municipal mayors or similar officials issued
such orders to take measures in 263 cases. (Fig. 1-2-15)(5) Safety Inspections
It has been mandated that the owners of outdoor storage
tanks and transfer handling facilities at or over a certain
size must undergo inspections on the safety of facilities
for hazardous materials performed by municipal mayors
and similar officials (safety inspections) at regular fixedintervals according to factors like the facilities’ size.
In FY2018, 229 safety inspections were performed, of
which 224 involved outdoor storage tanks and 5 involved
transfer handling facilities.

2. Securing Petroleum Pipelines(1) Safety Regulations for the Petroleum Pipeline
Business
Regarding those petroleum pipelines which are used
to transport petroleum in response to general demand,the competent minister must formulate basic plans andlisten to the opinions of the Minister of Internal Affairs
and Communications regarding business licenses inorder to ensure safety pursuant to the Petroleum Pipeline
Business Act enacted in 1972. What is more, the Ministerof Internal Affairs and Communications provides licenses
for construction plans, performs completion inspections,provides licenses for safety regulations, performs safety
inspections, and more.
The facilities to which the Petroleum Pipeline BusinessAct apply currently only include the pipelines transporting
airplane fuel to Narita International Airport, with otherpipelines regulated as transfer handling facilities under theFire Service Act.

(6) Onsite Inspections and Orders
Municipal mayors and similar officials can perform
onsite inspections on facilities for hazardous materials
and other such facilities to ensure that their installation,
construction, and establishment of equipment, as well
as storage or handling of hazardous materials, are incompliance with the standards established in the Fire
Service Act. These can be carried out when said official
deems it necessary to prevent fires that arise consequent
upon the storage or handling of hazardous materials.
In FY2018, onsite inspections were carried out atotal of 193,803 times at 177,747 facilities for hazardous
materials. In cases where violations of the Fire Service
Act were discovered as a result of the onsite inspections,these municipal mayors and other officials can issue avariety of different orders to the owners of said facilities
for hazardous materials. These include orders to comply
with regulations on storage and handling, orders to take(2) Ensuring the Safety of Petroleum Pipelines
Safety inspections are carried out periodically on thepipelines transporting airplane fuel to Narita International
Airport pursuant to the Petroleum Pipeline Business Act.
In addition, the business operators must do everything
they possibly can to ensure safety, such as having
maintenance and inspections carried out in accordancewith the technical standards established by law.

-omitted-

21

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

3

SectionCountermeasures to Disasters at
Petroleum Industrial Complexes☞ Japanese Original P.111

highest ever recorded. (Fig.1-3-1)
In 2018 there were 27 accidents (an increase of 17 yearon-year) that caused casualties, all of which occurred ingeneral accidents. They resulted in 1 death (an increase of
1 year-on-year), 33 casualties (an increase of 18 year-onyear). (Fig.1-3-2)

Current Status and Recent Trends in Disasters
at Petroleum Industrial Complexes
1. Number of Accidents and Damage
The total number of accidents that occurred at specified
business establishments *1 in petroleum industrial
complexes and other special disaster prevention areas(hereafter referred to as “special disaster prevention
areas”) in 2018 came to 398, of which 84 were accident
from earthquakes and tsunamis (hereafter referred to as“earthquake-induced accidents”), and 314 were otherthan earthquake-induced (hereafter referred to as “general
accidents”).
All of earthquake-induced accidents were caused by“Eastern Iburi Earthquake in Hokkaido”, which occurred
on September 6, 2018 and recorded a maximum seismic
intensity of 7.
Looking at trends in the number of general accidents
that have occurred reveals that these had been on an
upswing since 1989 and had been hovering around 250
in recent year. However, in 2018 they increased further to
314 (an increase of 62 year-on-year). This number is theFig. 1-3-2 Trends in the Number of Fatal
Accidents and Fatalities

Fig. 1-3-1 Trends in the number of accidents that occurred at petrochemical complexes(Note) Prepared based on “The Overview of Accidents at Specified Business Establishments in Petroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Special
Disaster Prevention Areas (2017)”.

*1

Specified business establishments: These refer to Class 1 business establishments (business establishments where 10,000 kiloliters of petroleum
or more are stored or handled, or where 2 million cubic meters of high-pressure gas or more are processed) and Class 2 business establishments(business establishments where 1,000 kiloliters of petroleum or more are stored or handled, or where 200,000 cubic meters of high-pressure gas ormore are processed).

22

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters(4) Number of General Accidents at Specified
Business Establishment by Type of Business
Category
As for the number of general accidents by cause, there
were 99 petroleum and coal products manufacturingindustry-related accidents (an increase of 28 year-on-

2. Characteristics of Accidents(1) Number of General Accidents by Type ofAccident
Looking at the number of general accidents by type of
accident, it reveals that 146 fires (an increase of 16 yearon-year), 6 explosions (an increase of 5 year-on-year),
155 leaks (an increase of 40 year-on-year), and 7 otheraccidents (an increase of 1 year-on-year). (Fig. 1-3-3)

Fig. 1-3-4 Number of General Accidents by
Cause of Accident(2) Number of General Accidents by Cause of
Accident
Looking at the number of general accidents by cause,
it reveals that 133 accidents were due to human factors(an increase of 32 year-on-year), 156 (an increase of 17
year-on-year) due to physical factors, and 25 (an increaseof 13 year-on-year) due to other factors. The main causes
were 89 cases of deterioration due to corrosion and fatigue(an increase of 27 year-on-year), 53 cases of insufficient
operation confirmation (an increase of 20 year-on-year),and 37 cases of insufficient maintenance and management(a decrease of 3 year-on-year). (Fig. 1-3-4)(3) Number of General Accidents by Type ofSpecified Business Establishment
Looking at the number of general accidents by cause,
it reveals that 244 accidents, or 77.7%, were occurredat Class 1 business establishments (213 of which layout
establishments*2).(Table 1-3-1)

Fig. 1-3-3 Trends in the Number of General Accidents by Type of Accident*2

Layout business establishments: Business establishments from among Class 1 business establishments that handle both petroleum and highpressure gases. Said business establishments are subject to layout regulations stipulating that their sites must be segmented off into six types ofsections according to their purpose, with these including manufacturing facility sections and storage facility sections (see P.105).

23

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Table 1-3-1 Number of General Accidents by Type of Specified Business Establishment
Type of business establishment

No. of businessestablishments(A)

Share of the total No. of
accidents(%)

No. of accidents(Ｂ)

Class 1 business establishments(During 2018)

No. of accidents per businessestablishments
(B/A)

344

244

77.7

0.71

Layout business establishments

160

213

67.8

1.33

Other business establishment

184

31

9.9

0.17

328

70

22.3

0.21

672

314

100.0

0.47

Class 2 business establishments
Total(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Overview of Accidents at Specified Business Establishments in Petroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Special
Disaster Prevention Areas in 2018”.
2 The number of business establishments is current as of April 1, 2018.

Table 1-3-2 Number of General Accidents at Specified Business Establishments by Business Category
Type of accidents

Number of accidents

Business Category
Fire

Explosion

leak

Other

Food manufacturing-related

1

Pulp, paper, processed paper manufacturing-related

1

Chemical industry-related

35

2

50

3

67

Petroleum and coal products manufacturing industry-related

28

Ceramic industry-related

1

Steel industry-related

55

Non-ferrous metal industry-related

Subtotal

Number of accidents by businesscategory

Share of theNo. of accidents
No. of businesstotal No. of
per businessestablishments
accidents(%)
establishments

1

0.3

12

3

1.0

3

1.00

4

91

29.0

227

0.40

1

2

0.08

99

31.5

48

2.06

1

2

0.6

10

0.20

5

61

19.4

31

1.97

1

3

4

1.3

6

0.67

Industrial Machinery manufacturing-related

8

1

9

2.9

9

1.00

electrical industry-related

10

13

23

7.3

61

0.38

Gas industry-related

1

5

6

1.9

27

0.22

4

4

1.3

223

0.02

3

1.0

9

0.33

1

Warehouse industry-related
Waste disposal industry-related

3

Other

2

Total

146

6

4

2

8

2.5

6

1.33

155

7

314

100.0

672

0.47

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Overview of Accidents at Specified Business Establishments in Petroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Special
Disaster Prevention Areas in 2018”.
2 The number of business establishments is current as of April 1, 2018.

year), 91 chemical industry-related accidents (an increaseof 20 year-on-year), 61 steel industry-related accidents (adecrease of 3 year-on-year), 23 electrical industry-related
accidents (an increase of 7 year-on-year). (Table 1-3-2)

1. Current Status of Special Disaster
Prevention Areas
As of April 1, 2019, 84 areas in which large quantitiesof petroleum or high pressure gas at or above certain
quantities have been designated as special disasterprevention areas in 103 municipalities in 33 prefectures
based on the Act on the Prevention of Disaster inPetroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum
Facilities. (Fig. 1-3-5) These special disaster prevention
areas are under the jurisdiction of 91 fire departments.
What is more, 667 business establishments serve as
specified business establishments subject to the regulationsof the Act on the Prevention of Disaster in Petroleum
Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum Facilities. Of
these, 340 are Class 1 business establishments (including
158 layout business establishments) and 327 are Class 2
business establishments.

Current Status of Damage Countermeasures
at Petroleum Industrial Complexes
In order to prevent disasters from occurring andspreading at special disaster prevention areas, wherelarge quantities of petroleum and high pressure gasses areconcentrated, efforts are made to establish comprehensive
disaster prevention structures for these. This includes byapplying the various regulations from the Fire Service Act,the High Pressure Gas Safety Act, the Industrial Safety
and Health Act, the Act on Prevention of Marine Pollution
and Maritime Disasters, and others, as well as by applying
the regulations from the Act on the Prevention of Disasterin Petroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum
Facilities regarding issues like the arrangements ofthe various facility sections and disaster prevention
equipment.

2. Disaster Prevention Structure at
Prefectures and Firefighting Agencies(1) Establishing Disaster Prevention Schemes
The prefectures that contain special disaster prevention
areas are establishing disaster prevention structures in a24

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Fig. 1-3-5 Designation Status for Special Disaster Prevention Areas(As of April 1, 2019)

Special disasterprevention areas

No.

No.

Special disasterprevention areas

Special disasterprevention areas

No.

No.

Special disasterprevention areas

No.

Special disasterprevention areas

1

Kushiro14

North Keiyo coast

34

Kinuura50

Etajima68

Ainoura2

Tomakomai

15

Central Keiyo coast

35

Port of Nagoya coast

51

Nomi

69

Kamigoto

2-2Ishikari

16

South Keiyo coast

36

Yokkaichi coast

52

lwakuni/Otake

70

Yatsushiro

3

Muroran19

Keihin coast

37

Owase

53

Kudamatsu

71

Oita

4

Hokuto20

Negishi coast

38

Osaka North Port

54

Shunan71-2 Sendai

4-2

Shiriuchi

21

Port of Niigata (East)

39

Sakai Senboku coast

55

Ube/Onoda

71-3 Kushikino

4-3

Mutsuogawara

22

Port of Niigata (West)40

Kansai International

57

Mutsurejima71-4 Kagoshima

5

Aomori23

Naoetsu

41

Misaki

58

Anan

72

6

Hachinohe24

Toyama

42

Kobe

59

Bannosu

72-2 Shibushi

6-2

Kuji

25

Fuchu

43

Higashiharima

60

Niihama

73

Henza

7

Shiogama

26

Shinminato

44

Himeji coast

61

Namikata

75

Onaha

8

Sendai27

Fushiki

44-2 Ako

62

Kikuma9

Oga

28

Port of Nanao,Mimuro

45

Northern coast in north
Wakayama

63

Matsuyama

64

Buzen

65

Kitakyushu

10

Akita

29

Kanazawa Port north46

Central coast in north
Wakayama

11

Sakata30

Fukui coast

47

Southern coast in north
Wakayama

11-2 Hirono

31

Shimizu

47-2 Gobo65-2 Shirashima

12

Iwaki

32

Atsumi48

Mizushima coast

66

Fukuoka13

Kashima coast

33

Tahara49

Fukuyama/Sasaoka

67

Fukushima

25

Kiire

*83areasChapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

3. Disaster Prevention Structure atSpecified Business Establishments

comprehensive and systematic manner based on the Act
on the Prevention of Disaster in Petroleum Industrial
Complexes and Other Petroleum Facilities. This is being
done through concerted efforts together with relevant
agencies centering primarily on disaster prevention
headquarters at petroleum industrial complexes and otherlocations (hereafter referred to as “disaster prevention
headquarters”).
The disaster prevention headquarters carry out
operations such as preparing disaster prevention plansfor petroleum industrial complexes and other locations(hereafter referred to as “disaster prevention plans”),
liaising and coordinating with relevant agencies whendisasters strike, and promoting research studies on disasterprevention.

(1) Establishing Disaster Prevention
Organizations for Self-defense
The Act on the Prevention of Disaster in Petroleum
Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum Facilities
mandates that those operators that establish specified
business establishments (specified business operators)
must set up disaster prevention organizations for selfdefense, prepare fire protection equipment, appoint
disaster protection managers, formulate disaster prevention
regulations, and so forth. It also stipulates that they areto establish joint disaster prevention associations,*3 widearea joint disaster prevention associations,*4 and special
disaster prevention area councils for petroleum industrial
complexes and the like (hereafter referred to as “areacouncils”)*5.
As of April 1, 2019, disaster prevention organizations
for self-defense had been established at every specified
business establishment (667 business establishments), and72 joint disaster prevention associations, 11 wide-area
joint disaster prevention associations, and 55 area councils
had also been established. These disaster prevention
organizations for self-defense, joint disaster prevention
associations, and wide-area joint disaster prevention
associations are equipped with 5,360 disaster prevention
personnel, 85 large chemical fire trucks, 47 large elevatedwater trucks, 127 foam solution transport vehicles, 113
large elevated chemical water trucks, 24 high capacity
foam cannons, 22 oil recovery vessels, and more.
What is more, the law states that these specified
business establishments must establish embankments
to prevent oil spills, outdoor water supply equipment
for firefighting, and emergency notification systems
according to their size. As of April 1, 2019, 142 businessestablishments had installed embankments to prevent oil
spills, 491 had installed outdoor water supply equipment
for firefighting, and 464 had installed emergency
notification systems, respectively.

(2) Emergency Responses when Disasters Occur
When disasters occur in special disaster prevention
areas, emergency responses consist of initiatives carriedout in a concerted manner by the prefecture, municipality,
related agencies, specified business operators andothers under the leadership of the disaster prevention
headquarters, as stipulated by the disaster prevention plan.
When disasters occur, firefighting agencies carry out
defense activities, give instructions regarding the activities
of disaster prevention organizations for self-defense, andcarry out other important roles.
(3) Maintaining the Firefighting Capabilities
of Municipalities Containing Special Disaster
Prevention Areas
As of April 1, 2019, 73 large chemical firetrucks, 59 large
elevated water trucks, 88 foam solution transport vehicles,
33 large elevated chemical water trucks, 3,135kL of 3%
fire-extinguishing foam, 773kL of 6% fire-extinguishingfoam, 34 fireboats, and other such equipment had been
allocated to firefighting agencies in municipalities
containing special disaster prevention areas. Likewise, 23
foam solution storage facilities, 5 portable foam cannons,
and other such equipment has been allocated to prefecturescontaining special disaster prevention areas in order tosupplement their municipal firefighting capabilities, aswell as enhance and strengthen the disaster prevention
structures of said special disaster prevention areas.
In addition, the FDMA has deployed the Emergency
Response Unit for Energy/Industrial Disaster (“Dragon
Hyper Command Unit”), which specialized in special
disasters, to 12 areas under National Fire-Service Teams,
and firefighting robots (Scrum Force), in order to support
the municipalities which located in special disasterprevention areas.

*3
*4
*5

(2) Equipping High Capacity Foam System
During the Tokachi-Oki Earthquake that occurred in
September 2003, damage that included damage to and oilleaks from numerous outdoor storage tanks occurred atan oil refining business establishment in Tomakomai City.
In addition, approximately 54 hours after the earthquake
struck all of the floating roof outdoor storage tanks caught
fire when the floating roof sank.
Before this disaster struck, it had been assumed thatthe fires that would occur at floating roof outdoor storage
tanks would be ring fires.*6 But out of consideration for
the risk of earthquakes occurring in Japan, the assumption
for a disaster had to be that a fire would spread to all of
the tanks.
In light of this, the Act on the Prevention of Disaster

Joint disaster prevention associations: Disaster prevention associations jointly established by the specified business operators involved with specified
business establishments containing a single special disaster prevention area in order to carry out some of the tasks of the disaster prevention
organization for self-defense.
Wide-area joint disaster prevention associations: Joint disaster prevention associations covering a wide area jointly established by specified business
operators involved with specified business establishments containing areas in which there are two or more special disaster prevention areas to carryout tasks related to disaster prevention activities by using large volume foam cannons and other equipment.
Special disaster prevention area councils for petroleum industrial complexes and the like: These are councils established with the objective of having
specified business operators related to specified business establishments located in a single special disaster prevention area come together to jointly
draft independent standards related to preventing disasters from occurring and carrying out joint disaster prevention drills.

26

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

disaster prevention personnel, which is easy to visually
understand. The FDMA shows a training model thatcan be used by both novices and experts to acquire theknowledge and skills necessary for disaster prevention
personnel, such as initial response to disasters andcooperation with public fire departments.

4. Layout Regulations for Business
Establishments(1) Layout Regulations
Just regulating each individual facility at the businessestablishments is not enough and other measures must
be taken by business establishments on the whole fromthe perspective of mitigating damage. Because disasters
are particularly likely to spread at layout businessestablishments that handle large amount of petroleum andhigh-pressure gases.
Therefore, the Act on the Prevention of Disaster inPetroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum
Facilities mandates that layout business establishments
must establish certain standards related to establishingfacility areas on their sites and ensuring passageways.
It also mandates that in cases like where businessestablishments are newly established or change theirfacility area layouts, they must provide notification of theplans for this. It also stipulates that they must undergo
confirmation after these have been completed to determine
whether or not they are consistent with the relevant plans.

The high capacity foam system

in Petroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum
Facilities was revised in June 2004 and the order forthe enforcement of this law was revised in November
2005 to strengthen and enhance disaster prevention
structures. Furthermore, it was mandated that specified
business establishments must equip themselves withhigh capacity foam systems, which were a new type offirefighting equipment then, by November 2008 in orderto respond to fires that fully envelop floating roof outdoor
storage tanks. High capacity foam systems are a type offirefighting equipment that consist of high capacity foam
cannons, feed pumps, foam mixers, and hoses. They havethe capacity to spray more than 10,000 liters of foam per
minute. A single high capacity foam cannon is capableof spraying anywhere up to ten times as much foam as aconventional three-part set (consisting of a large chemical
firetruck, large, elevated water truck, and a foam solution
transport vehicle).
At present, high capacity foam systems with thecapacity to spray anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 liters
per minute are stationed at 12 wide-area joint disasterprevention associations throughout Japan.

(2) Status for New Establishment and Other
Notifications
The number of notifications for new establishments ofor changes to layout business establishments in FY2018
came to 10, while the number of confirmations in the same
year came to 8. (Fig. 1-3-6)

5. Other Disaster Countermeasures(1) Establishing Disaster Response Structure
The Act on the Prevention of Disaster in Petroleum
Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum Facilities statesthat specified business operators must report to firefighting
agencies or locations specified by municipal mayors
immediately when any abnormal phenomena occurs.*7 It
also mandates that disaster prevention organizations for
self-defense, joint disaster prevention associations, andwide-area joint disaster prevention associations must takethe necessary measures in order to prevent disasters fromoccurring and spreading.

(3) Enhancing Disaster Prevention Structure for
Self-defense
The fact that petroleum industrial complexes handle
large quantities of hazardous materials and the likeand have equipment that is complexly interconnected
makes disaster prevention activities difficult, and as suchcarries the risk that this will result in enormous damage.
Therefore, when such disasters occur, disaster prevention
organizations for self-defense and joint disaster prevention
associations must carry out precise disaster prevention
activities. In addition, the disaster prevention personnel
responsible for said activities require extensive knowledge
and skills.
The FDMA issued standardized educational textbooks
and enhancing both human resource development for*6*7(2) Establishing Green Buffer Zones for Disaster
Prevention
Regulations were established in the Act on thePrevention of Disaster in Petroleum Industrial Complexes
and Other Petroleum Facilities in relation to matters like
drafting installation plans, the share of costs to be borneby business operators, and special financial measures forgreen buffer zones for disaster prevention established by
local governments in the vicinities around special disaster

Ring fires: Fires that occur at floating roof outdoor storage tanks all the way around the tank in the gap between the floating roof and the tank’s sidepanel before spreading out in a ring pattern.
Abnormal phenomena: Fires, explosions, spills of oil and other substances, and other such abnormal phenomena at specified businessestablishments.

27

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters
Fig. 1-3-6 Status for Notifications and Confirmations of New Layout Business Establishment, etc.

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on the number of notifications received in accordance with the provisions of Articles 5 and 7 of the Act on the Prevention ofDisasters in Petroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum Facilities.
2 Prepared based on the number of confirmed cases as stipulated in Article 11 of the provisions of Articles 5 and 7 of the Act on the Preventionof Disasters in Petroleum Industrial Complexes and Other Petroleum Facilities
3 The number of notifications and the number of confirmations for each fiscal year do not match because a certain amount of time is requiredfor construction after the notification of new establishment, etc., before confirmation is made.

prevention areas in order to prevent damage in said areasfrom spreading to the surrounding regions.

Complexes, etc.; Liaison Conference of FDMA, MHLW,
and METI; Website run jointly by the three organizations:
https://www.fdma.go.jp/relocation/neuter/topics/
fieldList4_16.html

6. Recent Disaster Measures at
Petroleum Industrial Complexes(2) Earthquake and Tsunami Measures for
Petroleum Industrial Complexes, etc.
As there is concern about damage occurring due to the
Nankai Trough earthquake or an earthquake directly under
the Tokyo metropolitan area, based on the state of damageof the Great East Japan Earthquake, work is being done
to enhance and strengthen disaster prevention systems at
petroleum industrial complexes, etc., such as by revisingdisaster prevention assessment guidelines and handbooks
for disaster prevention efforts of self-defense disasterprevention organizations.

(1) Liaison Conference of Related Ministries
and Agency for Examining Disaster Prevention
Measures at Petroleum Industrial Complexes, etc.
In the wake of the fatal explosion and fire at the
Yokkaichi Plant of Mitsubishi Materials Co., Ltd. that
occurred in January 2014, the FDMA, the Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry, which are the ministries and agency
responsible for safety at petroleum industrial complexes,
have held regular liaison conferences since FY2014.
The purpose of this liaison conference is to exchange
information on incidents, share policy trends, promote
efforts for business operators to prevent disasters, andwork together to take action in the event of a disaster. The
ministries and agency work together to prevent disasters
at petroleum industrial complexes by promoting accident
prevention efforts and publishing and sharing incidentrelated information on the Internet.
In FY2018, “Guidelines for Safe Operation ofDrones at Plants” were drawn up to promote the further
utilization of drones for daily inspections at petroleum
industrial complexes and quick inspections in the eventof a disaster, and these guidelines were made known toprefectural governments, fire departments, and businessestablishments.
It is expected that the further use of drones will lead to
improved plant safety and the elimination of occupational
accidents.
Fire and Disaster Management for Petroleum Industrial(3) Skill Contest for Self-defense Disaster
Prevention Organizations at Petroleum Industrial
Complexes, etc.
The FDMA holds a “Skill Contest for Self-Defense
Disaster Prevention Organizations at Petroleum Industrial
Complexes, etc.” with the aim of improving the skills andmorale of disaster prevention personnel such as those of
self-defense disaster prevention organizations at specificbusiness establishments.
The context of this is that around the time of “World
Tsunami Awareness Day” on November 5, the Ministerof Internal Affairs and Communications and theCommissioner of the FDMA commends self-defense
disaster prevention organizations, etc. that have achieved
excellent results in competing for safe, reliable, andprompt training that assumes the application of fireextinguishing foam agents on a large-scale tank firewith the use of large elevated hazardous material unit

28

Chapter 1 Current Status and Challenges for Disasters

Skill contest

Commendation Ceremony for the Self-Defense Disaster Prevention
Organization Skill Contest at Petroleum Industrial Complexes, etc.

fire truck and CAFS tanker or an elevated fire truck andhazardous material unit fire truck, etc. at specific businessestablishments.

In FY2018, it researched and examined the disasterprevention plans of petroleum industrial complexes andso on and disaster prevention drills conducted by disasterprevention headquarters.
To further enhance the functions of disaster prevention
headquarters through the facilitation of informationexchange between other disaster prevention headquarters,
the FDMA has compiled and published a report on
good practices for disaster prevention plans and disasterprevention drills of petroleum industrial complexes, etc.

(4) Holding an Examination Meeting to Strengthen
the Disaster Prevention Systems of Petroleum
Industrial Complexes, etc.
The FDMA holds examination meetings for the purposeof enhancing the disaster prevention systems of petroleum
industrial complexes.

-omitted-

29

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

1 Fire Service Structure

Section☞ Japanese Original P.171

to 65.7% of the total number of municipalities that haveswitched to a standing fire defense structure.
What is more, the number of municipalities outsourcing
this work comes to 143 (37 cities, 86 towns, and 20
villages), which corresponds to 8.5% of the total numberof municipalities that have switched to a standing fire
defense structure. (Fig. 2-1-2)

1. Fire Defense Organizations(1)Standing Firefighting Agencies
Standing firefighting agencies refer to the fire
departments and fire stations established in municipalities
that are staffed by full-time personnel. As of April 1, 2019,
there were 726 fire departments and 1,719 fire stations
established throughout Japan. (Table 2-1-1) There are
165,438 firefighters, of which 5,307 are women. (Table
2-1-1, Fig. 2-1-1)
The current fire service structures found in municipalities
can largely be categorized into: [1] Municipalities withboth fire departments and fire stations (so-called standing
fire defense) as well as volunteer fire corps (so-called nonstanding fire defense), and [2] Towns and villages with
only volunteer fire corps.
As of April 1, 2019, 1,690 municipalities had switchedover to a standing fire defense structure, whereas 29 towns
and villages had failed to do so. This brings the percentage
of municipalities that have switched over to a standing
fire defense structure (standing ratio) to 98.3% (100% for
cities and 96.9% for towns/villages). This conversion has
taken place virtually nationwide, barring some towns andvillages in mountainous regions or on remote islands, with
99.96% of the population now covered by standing fire
defense structures.
Of these, there have been 289 fire departments
established by special district authorities or extended
associations (22 of which were established by extended
associations). The 1,110 municipalities that have organizedthese (371 cities, 599 towns, and 140 villages) correspond(2)Volunteer Fire Corps
Volunteer fire corps are municipal, non-standing
firefighting agencies. The volunteer firefighters thatcomprise their members have other main occupations,and engage in fire and disaster defense activities basedon their love for their hometown and a desire to protect it
under the thinking that they should be the ones to protect
their own communities themselves. They do this as local
government employees in special part-time positions
vested with authority and responsibility.
As of April 1, 2019, the number of volunteer fire corps
throughout Japan came to 2,198, while their volunteer
members numbered 831,982. They have been establishedin every municipality. (Table 2-1-1, Fig. 2-1-1)
Volunteer fire corps have the unique qualities of being:• Rooted in local communities (volunteers live or workwithin the jurisdiction)• Able to dispatch personnel (there are roughly 5.0-times
the number of volunteers as there are regular firefighters)• Able to respond immediately (volunteers acquire theskills and knowledge to respond to disasters throughroutine education and training)
By harnessing these qualities, they are able to engage in
the initial firefighting when fires break out and deal withany residual fires, as well as sound warnings and carry out

Table 2-1-1 Current status of municipal fire defense organizations
Classification

As of April 1, 2018

Fire departments

Rate of change (%)

726

△2

△ 0.3

Cities

387

385

△2

△ 0.5

Towns/villages

52

52

0

0.0

289

389

100

34.6

Fire station

1,719

1,719

0

0.0

Branch offices

3,117

3,113

△4

△ 0.1

No. of firefighters

164,873

165,438

565

0.3

5,069

5,307

238

4.7

2,209

2,198

△ 11

△ 0.5

Individual

Special district authorities, etc.

Of which, No. of female firefighters
Volunteer fire corps
Volunteer fire corps

Comparison
Change728

Breakdown
Fire departments

As of April 1, 2019

Divisions

22,422

22,388

△ 34

△ 0.2

No. of volunteer fire corps members

843,667

831,982△ 11,685△ 1.4

25,981

26,625644

2.5

Of which, No. of member(Note) Prepared based on the Survey of “The Current Status of Fire Prevention” and “Earthquake Countermeasures” and “The Report on Personnel
Changes concerning Fire Departments and Volunteer Fire Corps”.

30

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Fig. 2-1-1 Trends in the number of Firefighters and Volunteer Fire Corps(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey of the Current Status of Fire Prevention and Earthquake Countermeasures”.
2 Due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the number of firefighters and volunteer firefighters in Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi
Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture in 2011 were tabulated using the numbers from the previous year (as of April 1, 2010).
3 Due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the numbers for Onagawa Town, Oshika District, Miyagi Prefecture in 2012 weretabulated using the numbers from the previous year (as of April 1, 2010).

Fig. 2-1-2 Breakdown of the establishment method for fire departments
Municipalities

No. of fire departments

Individual

Special districtauthorities, etc.

Cities

Towns

Standing/non-standing

Villages726

1,690 municipalities

1,690

793

736

437

437 municipalities

437

385

51

1,110 municipalities

1,110

371

599

140

143 municipalities

143

37

86

20 Outsourced

29

―

7

1,719

793

743

289

(As of April 1, 2019)

161 Municipalities with standing structures
1 Individual
Establishment
Comprised of special
methoddistrict authorities, etc.

22 Municipalities with non-standing structures
183

Total

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Report on Personnel Changes concerning Fire Departments and Volunteer Fire Corps”.
2 The 23 wards of Tokyo were tabulated as a single city for individual fire defense departments.
3 Extended associations are included under "Special district authorities."

2. Fire and Disaster Defense Facilities

rescue activities when storm and flood disasters occur. In
addition, when large-scale disasters occur, they engage
in activities like assisting with resident evacuations
and safeguarding against disasters, as well as giving
instructions to evacuated residents in cases where theysafeguard civilians. Volunteer fire corps play a major rolein ensuring the safety and security of their communities,
such as by overseeing fire defense activities in an acrossthe-board manner.
This is particularly true in towns and villages withouta standing fire defense structure, where fire departments
and fire stations have not been established. What ismore, the volunteer fire corps engage in activities
that are rooted in local communities during times ofnormalcy, such as raising awareness of fire prevention anddisseminating first-aid treatment. They also play a majorrole in improving local fire prevention capabilities andrevitalizing local communities.

(1)Maintenance of Fire Trucks and Other
Equipment
Fire departments and fire stations are equipped with thefire pump vehicles, ladder-equipped vehicles (including
vehicles with folding ladders), chemical fire trucks,
ambulances, rescue vehicles, fire prevention helicopters,
and other equipment that they need for their firefighting
activities.
In addition, volunteer fire corps are equipped withvehicles such as fire pump vehicles, small power pumptransport vehicles, and transport vehicles for rescue
supplies. (Table 2-1-2)(2)Fire Defense Communication Equipment
In order to minimize the damage from fires and otherdisasters, it is important to quickly become aware of31

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-1-2 Number of firefighting vehicles owned(As of April 1, 2019) (Units: vehicles, ships, machines)
CategoryFiredepartments

Volunteerfire corps

Total

Fire pump vehicles

7,749

14,065

21,814

Ladder-equipped vehicles

1,146

0

1,146

951

4

955

Ambulances

6,364

0

6,364

Command vehicles

1,772

903

2,675

Rescue vehicles

1,243

0

1,243

Other firefighting vehicles

8,990

2,041

11,031

Small power pumps

3,563

50,42053,983429

35,73536,164Equipped on wheeled platforms

1,844

2,680

4,524

Other than those above

1,290

12,005

13,295Firefighting boats

39

9

48

Fire and disaster prevention helicopters

33

0

33

Chemical fire trucks

Equipped on vehicles
Breakdown(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey of the Current Status of Fire Prevention and Earthquake
Countermeasures”, “The Survey on the Implementation Status of Emergency Services”,
and “The Survey on the Implementation Status of Rescue Work”.

said fires and disasters and have firefighting agencies
rapidly arrive at the scene. In addition, it is also important
to collect information and quickly and clearly issue
instructions and orders at the scene of the incident. Fire
defense communication equipment plays an enormousrole in such contexts. Such equipment includes dedicatedphone lines for reporting fires, fire defense communication
networks, and more.
A. Calls to 119
Dedicated phone lines for reporting fires refer todedicated phone lines whereby firefighting agencies canreceive emergency reports related to fires and medical
emergencies from people providing notification.

The telecommunication number related to emergency
reports to firefighting agencies has been set as “119” asper regulations on telecommunication numbers.
The number of incidents reported to 119 throughout
2018 came to 8,705,751. A breakdown of the reported
details shows that the number of reported cases related to
medical emergencies and rescues accounted for 71.3% of
the total. (Fig. 2-1-3)
Following the recent popularization of cell phones andIP phones*1 (hereafter referred to as “cell and other typesof phones”), the number of reports to 119 from cell andother types of phones have risen, with their share versus
the total number of reports coming to 45.2% and 24.2%,
respectively. (Fig. 2-1-4)

Fig. 2-1-3 Number of reports to 119 (by thereported details)

Fig. 2-1-4 Number of reports to 119 (by type of
connection)(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey of the Current Status of Fire
Prevention and Earthquake Countermeasures”.

(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey of the Current Status of Fire
Prevention and Earthquake Countermeasures”.

*1

IP (Internet Protocol) phones: A voice call service offered through the use of IP technology at the contact point between the telephone network andthe phone terminals.

32Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities(A) Location Information Notifications for Emergency
Reports to 119
The firefighting agencies that receive reports from119 hear out the status at the scene of the disaster andinformation on the disaster through their back-andforth with the person providing notification. Firefighting
agencies that have adopted advanced fire defense
command centers can display location information such as
the reported location on a map over a monitor when theyreceive reports to 119.
The Location Information Notification System, which
notifies firefighting agencies of the location informationfrom the scenes where calls to 119 originate from cell
phones and other sources, began operating in April 2007.
The Integrated Location Information Notification System,
which integrates this Location Information Notification
System with the New Origin Location Display System*2that had been operating since before to provide
notifications from landline phones, began operating in
October 2009.
As of April 1, 2019, the number of fire departmentsthat are now able to determine the location information
when they receive 119 reports from cell and other typesof phones is now 712 (of which 596 headquarters use theIntegrated Location Information Notification System) as
a result of the Location Information Notification System
and Integrated Location Information Notification System.

an operator interprets from “sign language” or “text” to“voice” to provide an immediate two-way connection
between hearing or speech impaired person and nonhearing or speech impaired people. The Ministry ofInternal Affairs and Communications and the Ministryof Health, Labor and Welfare held a working groupon telephone relay services to study the realization of
telephone relay services as a public infrastructure, andpublished a report in December 2019.
The FDMA is also participating in the study to create
circumstances where emergency calls can be madethrough telephone relay services.
(C) Report from foreign nationals
As the number of foreign visitors to Japan is expected
to increase further in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo
Olympic and Paralympic Games, there is an urgent needto respond to 119 calls from foreign nationals.
The 119 multi-language service using 3 Way Telephone
Interpretation provided by the Telephone Interpretation
Center will be available 24/7 in major languages to
respond promptly and accurately when calling 119 froma foreign national or at an emergency site where a foreign
national is present. The FDMA is working toward the goalof having this system installed in all fire departments in
2020.
B. Fire Defense Communications Networks
Fire and emergency radios are an important piece ofequipment. They are considered necessary for situations
where a fire department needs to provide instructions tofire brigades, rescue crews, and others who are activeat the scenes of disasters, or for situations where orders
are to be given and information collected at the scenesof fires. What is more, fire defense phone lines are
dedicated phone lines that are used for communications
such as simultaneously relaying information and orders
when reports are received between fire departments, firestations, and branch offices.
On the other hand, the image information recorded by
the cameras equipped on fire prevention helicopters areused nationwide and in local regions through the use ofsatellite communication networks.

(B) Nonverbal Reports
When persons with hearing or speech impairments
make 119 emergency calls without using voice, they areaccommodated via alternative, nonverbal means throughthe use of FAX or email. However, there are a number ofproblems with these sorts of alternative means, such as
the fact that in some cases reports can only be provided
from locations equipped with FAX machines, and that it
takes time to convey the address and status of the person
providing the report.
Therefore, the FDMA had held meetings about “Net
119 Emergency Report System”, which allows persons
with hearing or speech impairments to provide reports
through the tapping or swiping the screen of smartphones
since 2015. In FY2017, the committee compiled together
standard specifications for a system that should be adopted
by fire departments throughout Japan in the future.
When the system is introduced in accordance with thestandard specifications, the location of the emergency
report will be transmitted directly to the fire department
with jurisdiction based on the GPS and other location
information of the smartphone, so that even those withhearing or speech impairments will be able to call 119
smoothly.
The FDMA is working toward the goal of adopting thissystem at all fire departments by 2020, when the Tokyo
Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held.
In addition, sign language and written language
have been proposed as means for the hearing or speech
impaired to call 119.
The Nippon Foundation has been implementing amodel project for a “telephone relay service” in which*2(3)Water Sources for Firefighting
Water sources for firefighting are an absolutely crucialcomponent, together with fire trucks and other equipment,
when it comes to carrying out firefighting activities.
Generally speaking, these are categorized into artificial
sources like fire hydrants and fire cisterns, as well as
natural sources like rivers, ponds, oceans, and lakes.
With artificial sources, a certain amount of water canbe drawn up at any time from near the location where thefire breaks out, and so they are frequently used as water
sources for firefighting during such activities. Ever since
the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in particular, theinstallation of fire cisterns and other equipment that has
been seismically-reinforced against earthquakes has been
actively promoted as a countermeasure for water sources
for firefighting to combat large-scale earthquakes. In 2014

New Origin Location Display System: This is a system that notifies fire departments of the location information (address information) of the person
making a report with regards to 119 reports from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West
Corporation landline phones.

33

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-1-3 Number of water sources for firefighting installed(mainly artificial water sources)(As of April 1 of each year)
Category

2018

Comparison

2019

Difference

Percent change(%)

No. installed nationwide

2,470,022(100.0)2,483,960(100.0)13,9380.6Fire hydrants

1,919,018(77.7)

1,930,125(77.7)

11,1070.6Fire cistern

531,057(21.5)

534,345(21.5)

3,288

0.6

20㎥-less than 40 ㎥

103,487

103,166

△ 321

△ 0.3

40㎥-less than 60 ㎥

381,669

384,700

3,031

0.8

60 ㎥ or more

45,901

46,479

578

1.3

Wells

19,947(0.8)

19,490
(0.8)

△ 457

△ 2.3

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey of the Current Status of Fire Prevention and Earthquake Countermeasures”.
2 The numbers in parentheses show the proportion, and their unit is %.

the Standards for Water Sources for Firefighting (theFDMA Bulletin No. 7 from 1964) were revised to allow
for their installation in a systematic manner. (Table 2-1-3)
In recent years, in addition to the aforementioned
concerns about seismic performance, due to concerns about
the aging of firefighting water source system, the demand
for new fire protection systems in densely populated
wooden buildings, etc., by the Notice “Reinforcement offirefighting water source Maintenance Promotion” (Issue
No. 272, Fire and Ambulance Division's Manager, theFDMA on November 24, 2017) Municipalities are trying
to promote the improvement by setting numerical targets
for short-term, medium-term, and long-term for the

maintenance of firefighting water source).
What is more, with natural water sources it is often
the case that water can be taken in over a long periodof time without any restrictions on the amount that canbe taken. As such, these sources play an important role
as a water source for firefighting together with artificial
water sources. The other side of the coin is that there aresometimes cases where these water sources cannot be
used due to the season, or where restrictions are placed onwhere the water can be drawn from or the like. Therefore,
an appropriate combination of both artificial and natural
water sources must be established when it comes to setting
in place water sources for firefighting.

-omitted-

34

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

4 Education and Training Structure

Section☞ Japanese Original P.204

As of April 1, 2019, fire academies had been establishedin all 47 prefectures, seven ordinance-designated cities(Sapporo, Chiba, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Kobe, andFukuoka), and in the Tokyo Fire Department for a totalof 55 such academies throughout Japan (in the Tokyo
Metropolitan Region, there are two schools that have been
jointly established: The Tokyo Metropolitan Fire Defense
Training Center and the Tokyo Fire Department’s Fire
Academy).
The FDMA has established the Standards for the
Establishment, Personnel, and Operation of Fire
Academies with the objective being to work to establish
and run fire academies. It also makes progress in ensuring
and improving the level of education and training at thefire academies.

1. Education and Training for
Firefighters
It is essential to improve the knowledge and skills offirefighters to enable them to appropriately handle theincreasingly diverse disaster and emergency services andincreasing sophistication of fire prevention services. As
such, education and training for firefighters is incredibly
important.
Education and training for firefighters is offered by eachfire departments, fire stations, and volunteer fire corps, aswell as by the national government through the Fire andDisaster Management College and the fire academies inthe various prefectures. In addition to these, there are also
emergency medical technician (EMT) training institutes
that offer education designed to have rescue workers
from around the country acquire national qualifications as
EMTs.
As this indicates, the national government, prefectures,municipalities, and others each undertake their own
respective functions as they work together in a cooperative
manner to provide education and training for firefighters.

(2) Types of Education and Training
The Education and Training Standards for Fire
Academies (hereafter referred to as “standards”) havebeen established to serve as standards for the educationand training offered at fire academies. The fire academies
formulate specific curricula out of respect for the“Attainment objectives” stipulated in the standards andby using the “Standard subjects and class hours” foundtherein as reference guidelines. The types of educationand training offered include initial education, specialized
education, management education, and special education
for firefighters, as well as basic education, specialized
education, management education, and special educationfor volunteer firefighters.

2. On-the-job Training
Every firefighting agency carries out systematic
education and training (on-the-job training) based on theirrespective regional characteristics on a routine basis. In
particular, those firefighters who are required to perform
rigorous team activities based on instructions and orders
at the scenes of dangerous disasters require a sense of duty
and abundance of energy and vigor in order to carry out
their professional duties. Therefore, fire departments work
to improve their knowledge and skills and lift their morale
through various types of education and training.
The firefighting agencies work to promote training
activities that are safe and effective. This is done throughefforts like the establishment of standards for on-thejob training at the FDMA in the form of the Standards
for Fire Development Training Etiquette, Standards
for Firefighting Techniques, and Standards for Fire andRescue Techniques, as well as safety management manuals
both for during drills and during security activities.

• Initial education refers to foundational education andtraining offered to all newly-hired firefighters. The
standards designate that 800 hours of class time is required
for this.
• Basic education refers to basic education and training
offered to those people who must acquire knowledge andskills as volunteer firefighters after joining a volunteer
fire corps due to their limited experience. The standards
designate that 24 hours of class time is required for this.
• Specialized education refers to expert education andtraining related to specific fields offered to active duty
firefighters and mainly those volunteer firefighters who
have completed their basic education.
• Management education refers to the education andtraining that is generally required for fire defense
management, and is offered to management personnel
and prospective candidates expected to advance onto
management.
• Special education refers to education offered for special
objectives that fall outside the bounds of the educationand training mentioned above.

3. Education and Training at Fire
Academies(1) Establishment of Fire Academies
The provisions of Article 51 of the Fire Organization
Act mandate that prefectures must establish fire academies
independently or jointly, except in cases where financial
circumstances or other special circumstances prevent
them from doing so. In addition, the provisions stipulatethat ordinance-designated cities can also establish fire
academies independently or jointly together with theprefectures.

(3) Enhancing and Strengthening the Education
and Training at Fire Academies
Sophisticated firefighting activities are required
due to the increasing size and complexity of disasters.
In addition, prevention work also continues to grow35

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-4-1 Holding of education and training
aimed at firefighters(people)increasingly sophisticated and specialized as a result ofrevisions to fire defense laws and ordinances.
Against this background, the knowledge and skills
that firefighters need in order to properly carry out theirprofessional duties must be further improved upon.
Therefore, partial revisions were made to both theStandards for the Establishment, Personnel, and Operationof Fire Academies and the Education and Training
Standards for Fire Academies in March 2015 with the goalof working to enhance and strengthen the education andtraining offered at fire academies.
As part of the revisions, facilities capable of holding
practical training by simulating actual disasters (simulated
firefighting training equipment, earthquake training
facilities, etc.) were added as facilities that should be
set in place as standard practice. In addition, the method
for calculating the number of teaching personnel at fire
academies was revised out of consideration for safety
management aspects, and revisions were also carried out
regarding the proper allocation of class subjects and classhours based on the challenges of and need for fire defense.

FY2017
5,386

5,364

Specialized education

10,244

10,017

Fire Suppression Class

940

1,201

Special Disaster Class

699

704

1,003

1,112

Preventive Inspection Class
Hazardous Material Class

496

447

Fire Inspection Class

1,326

1,130

Ambulance Class

4,096

3,748

Associate Ambulance Class

8−

Rescue Class

1,676

1,675

Management education

3,182

3,835

Introductory Management Class

1,950

2,301

Intermediate Management Class

893

1,131

Advanced Management Class

339

403

12,17912,82830,991

32,044

Special education
Total(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on Education and Training at Fire
Academies”.

(4) Holding of Education and Training
In FY2018 a total of 32,044 firefighters attended
education and training at fire academies. (Table 2-4-1)
As for volunteer firefighters, in FY2018 a total of
37,470 attended education and training either at fire
academies or through the dispatch of teachers from said
academies. (Table 2-4-2)
Since volunteer firefighters each have their own main
occupations, in cases where it is determined that it will
be difficult to adequately provide them with educationand training at a fire academy, it has been stipulated thatteachers from said academies can be dispatched locallyto provide education and training. Many of the fire
academies have adopted this approach.
What is more, education and training is also provided
by fire academies to people other than volunteer fire corps
members to the extent that doing so does not interferewith the education and training of said members. In
FY2018, education and training were provided to a totalof 17,275 people, from local voluntary disaster prevention
organizations and others.

4. Education and Training and Technical Assistanceat the Fire and Disaster Management College
The Fire and Disaster Management College provides theadvanced education and training needed for management
to the personnel engaged in firefighting operations at thenational and prefectural level, as well as to municipal
volunteer fire corps members. In addition, it also provides
the necessary technical assistance related to education andtraining for fire academies at the prefectural level.
(1) Facilities and Equipment
The Fire and Disaster Management College's education

Table 2-4-2 Holding of education and training aimed atvolunteer firefighters
Category(people)FY2018School education

Teacher dispatch

Basic education

3,925

3,983

7,908

Specialized education

2,121

0

2,121

847

0

847

1,274

0

1,274

7,421

106

7,527

1,999

82

2,081

751

0

751

Branch Supervisor Course

2,206

24

2,230

Local command Course

2,465

0

2,465

8,527

11,387

19,914

21,994

15,47637,470Fire Suppression Class
Machinery Operation ClassManagement education
Introductory Management Class
Supervisory Management Class (Whole)

Special education
Total

FY2018Initial education

Total(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on Education and Training at Fire Academies”.
* The Intermediate Management Class was replaced with the Supervisory Management Class through the partial
revisions to the education and training standards for fire academies from March 2014.
* The Supervisory Management Class was counted as having completed the Branch Supervisor Course and the
Local Command Course.

36Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

and training facilities consist of a main building, asecondary building, training facilities, and a dormitory.
The main building contains a large classroom that canaccommodate 250 people, three regular classrooms, anaudiovisual classroom, a scientific combustion laboratory,
and a library. In addition, it also contains disaster response
training rooms and other facilities for fostering trainees
with the ability to it has been equipped with dedicatedfacilities for women, assess situations and give commands
as leaders by experiencing a variety of simulated disaster
scenarios.
The secondary building contains an auditorium that
can accommodate 300 people, as well as rescue training
rooms, special classrooms, an indoor training ground, andmore.
The training facilities consist of a 4-story low-risetraining building and an 11-story high-rise training
tower. In addition, these also include a training facility
where trainees can experience the same changes in theenvironment as an actual fire scene through the burning
wood in a container.
The dormitory has a south wing that can accommodate
172 people and a north wing that can accommodate 52.
In addition, it has been equipped with dedicated facilities
for women, including the bathrooms, restrooms, changing
rooms, and lounges women need for dormitory life.
As for education and training vehicles, the college
is equipped with command vehicles, ordinary pumpvehicles, pump vehicles equipped with water tanks, rescue

work vehicles, special disaster response chemical vehicles,
disaster support vehicles, and high-grade emergency
vehicles.

Training that simulates the experience of being in an actual fire
(hot fire training)

Training that simulates the experience of being in an actual fire
(hazardous material fire)(2) Holding of Education and Training
The Fire and Disaster Management College turnedout 1,082 graduates from its comprehensive classes andspecialized classes, and 635 graduates from its practicalcourses in FY2018. This brings the total number of
its graduates from the time it was founded up throughFY2018 to 62,695.
What is more, its capacity numbered 1,932 people in
FY2019. (Table 2-4-3)
The college's classes were substantially reorganized in
FY2006, following which reviews have been carried out
where appropriate based on the needs of the attendees. As
a result, in FY2018, 22 classes and 13 practical courses
were held throughout the year.
Regarding the contents of the education and training
for each course (lesson subjects), harassment prevention,
mental health, coping with critical incident stress, crisis
management, public relations, and handling litigation havebeen incorporated as subjects designed to cope with the
new challenges that have arisen as a result of changes insocial conditions according to the objectives of each class.
What is more, efforts are being made to round-out thecontents of the curriculum, such as by adding in trainingthat simulates commanding during a fire, simulation
training for receiving assistance during a large-scale

Drill on responding to mass casualties

37

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-4-3 Education and training implementation status
Category

FY2018 (actual performance)
No. ofNo. ofGraduates
Capacity
times held
times held(people)(people)(times)(times)

FY2019 (planned)
Time

Educational goals

Comprehensive education
ClassesSpecialized education

Management Class

4

285

4

240

To foster human resources suitable for becoming senior firefighting
2 months management by having them learn advanced knowledge and skills
related to firefighting in a comprehensive manner.

AdvancedManagement Class

1

41

1

54

2 weeks

To improve the qualifications of people currently serving as senior
firefighting management by having them learn advanced knowledge andskills related to firefighting in a comprehensive manner.

New Fire
Chief/Principal
Orientation Class

2

41

2

102

2 weeks

To have newly-appointed fire chiefs and fire academy principles
learn the knowledge and skills they will need for their positions in acomprehensive manner.

Volunteer Fire
Corps Management
Class

2

66

2

72

1 weekTo have senior management at volunteer fire corps learn the knowledge
and skills they will need for their positions in a comprehensive manner.

Guard Class

2

120

2

120

To improve the qualifications of educational instructors on guard duty by
2 months having them learn advanced knowledge and skills related to guard duty
in a specialized manner.

Rescue Class

2

119

2

120

To improve the qualifications of educational instructors on rescue duty
2 months by having them learn advanced knowledge and skills related to rescue
duty in a specialized manner.

Emergency Medical
Service Class

1

48

1

48

1 monthPrevention Class

2

95

2

96

To improve the qualifications of educational instructors on prevention by
2 months having them learn advanced knowledge and skills related to prevention
in a specialized manner.

Hazardous
Substances Class

1

42

1

42

1 monthFire Survey Class

2

96

2

96

To improve the qualifications of educational instructors on fire survey
2 months work by having them learn advanced knowledge and skills related to fire
survey work in a specialized manner.

New Teacher
Orientation Class

1

66

1

60

2 weeks

To have newly-appointed personnel in charge of education and training
at fire academies learn the knowledge and skills they will need for theirpositions in a comprehensive manner.

In-service teachers

2

63

2

72

1 weekThis improves the skills of the in-service teaching personnel in charge ofproviding education and training at fire academies and the like to enable
them to provide comprehensive instruction on operational management
planning, preventative operations, and security operations.

Subtotal

To Improve the qualifications of rescue work instructors by having
emergency rescue team leaders and others acquire advanced
knowledge and skills in a comprehensive manner (including education
for fostering EMTs to offer instruction).

To improve the qualifications of educational instructors on hazardous
material safety by having them learn advanced knowledge and skills
related to hazardous material safety in a specialized manner.

1,082

22

1,122

2

75

2

96

2 weeks

To have the command support leaders of Emergency Fire Response
Teams learn the knowledge and skills they will need for their work.

Advanced
Rescue/Special
Advanced Rescue
Course

1

66

1

66

2 weeks

To have the leaders of advanced rescue teams and special advanced
rescue teams learn the knowledge and skills they will need for theirwork.

NBC Course

1

72

1

72

3 weeks

To have NBC disaster personnel on Emergency Fire Response Teamslearn the knowledge and skills they will need for NBC disaster response
duties.

Air Corps Officer
Course

1

63

1

84

2 weeks

To have firefighting and fire defense air patrol commanders learn theknowledge and skills they will need for their work.

CrisisManagement/Public
Protection Course

1

59

1

96

1 weekTo have crisis managers, fire defense managers, and those in chargeof protecting the public at local public bodies learn the knowledge andskills they will need for their work.

Voluntary Disaster
Prevention
Organization
Training Course

1

63

1

72

1 weekTo have those in charge of training at voluntary disaster prevention
organizations learn the knowledge and skills they will need for theirwork.

Short-term Voluntary
Disaster Prevention
Organization
Training Course

2

95

2

128

2 daysTo have the personnel in charge of the task of training voluntary disasterprevention organizations learn the basic knowledge and skills they willneed for their work.

Volunteer Fire
Corps Revitalization
Course

1

34

2

96

1 weekTo have those involved in volunteer fire corps duties and education/
training learn the knowledge and skills they will need for their work.

Courses encouraging
the active involvementof women

1

60

1

52

2 weeks

To support the career development of female firefighting officials who are
candidates for management positions and have them learn knowledge
and skills with the goal of expanding their career opportunities.

Inspection operations
management course

1

48

1

48

1 weekThis instills persons at or above the section head-level who supervise
preventive operations at fire departments with the knowledge and skills
needed in order to perform management for inspection operations as awhole, such as handling violations.

Emergency Fire Response

22

Commanding Officer
CoursePractical courses

Crisis management/firefighting education

Subtotal
Total

12

635

13

810

34

1,717

35

1,932

38

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

earthquake, and other such drills that make using of
information systems. Other examples of this include drills
on firefighting activities in environments that are similar to
those of an actual fire through the use of training facilities
that simulate the experience of being in an actual fire (hottraining).
Moreover, some of the classes incorporate advancelearning over the internet (e-learning) in an effort toprovide efficient education and training within a limited
period of time.
And to support the career development of female
firefighting officials, the framework for giving priority
to female firefighting officials by reserving 5% of theenrollment slots for each class has been established for
women to encourage their matriculation. The practicalcourse promoting the active involvement of women washeld with the main objective of supporting the careerdevelopment of female firefighting officials in an effort
to expand training opportunities for women and the Fireand Disaster Management College Forum with the themeof promoting the active involvement of women was also
held.
Furthermore, for the holding of large-scale international
events (such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic
Games), the FDMA has increased the number of days of
education for its NBC Course from 10 to 15 up throughFY2020, when the Olympics was held, to contribute toenhancing NBC disaster response capabilities.
In FY2018, with the aim of improving on-site commandand decision making capabilities in the event of firein a densely wooden houses area or other difficult
to firefight area, the Fire and Disaster Management
College is incorporating the training using town-formed
condominium unit that can conduct practical training.

for newly-appointed fire chiefs and school principals, aswell as classes for newly-appointed teachers, respectively.
What is more, the classes for newly-appointed teachers
and in-service teachers provide education centered mainly
around learning teaching techniques. In addition, they also
incorporate practices in which the teachers actually givelectures, and provide training for educational leaders at
the fire academies.
The classes for people other than newly-appointed
teachers and in-service teachers also strive to foster
educational leaders as one of their objectives, and offer
learning on teaching techniques and practice with giving
lectures as part of this.
B. Dispatch of Lecturers
Lecturers on fire suppression duty, prevention,
ambulance service, rescue, and other forms of fire service
administration and firefighting techniques are dispatchedin response to requests from fire academies in orderto enhance the educational content at said academies.
Lecturers were dispatched a total of 131 times in FY2018.
C. Editing Firefighting Textbooks
The FDMA edits the textbooks for beginners that areused at the fire academies. As of April 2019, it had issued
21 types of textbooks.
D. Providing Information on Lecturers, etc.
The FDMA provides a roster of the names of graduatesfrom the Fire and Disaster Management College,
information on lecturers, and more. This is designed
to secure lecturers who have acquired a certain levelof knowledge and skills in specialized areas, as wellas to contribute to further improving the quality of theeducation and training offered by the fire academies.

(3) Technical Assistance for Fire Academies
The education and training provided at prefectural fire
academies must be enhanced and strengthened owing to
the increasing diversity and growing scale of the situations
resulting from natural disasters, fires, and accidents. The
Fire and Disaster Management College provides thefollowing sorts of technical assistance in order to achieve
this.

(4) Special Lectures
The FDMA is planning special lectures in anticipation
for the Rugby World Cup 2019 and the 2020 Tokyo
Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held for four years
in the prefectures where the venues for these events arelocated at 16 sites. In FY2019, special lectures on topics
like safety management, responding to mass casualties,
and NBC responses were held at four locations in Miyagi,
Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba Prefecture.

A. Education and Training for Fire Academy
Principals and Teachers
Education and training for newly-appointed fire
academy principals and teachers is provided via classes

39

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

5 Ambulance Service System

Section☞ Japanese Original P.209(15.3%) suffered an ordinary injury, 441,582 people(7.4%) suffered a traffic accident, and so on. (Table 2-5-1,
Table 2-5-2, Attachment 2-5-1, 2 untranslated)
The number of times fire and disaster prevention
helicopters were dispatched came to 3,128 (a decreaseof 242 from the previous year), and 2,318 people weretransported by them (a decrease of 260 from the previousyear).

1. Implementation of Ambulance
Services(1) Ambulance Service Dispatch
The number of times ambulance service dispatch
were sent out via ambulances nationwide in 2018 came
to 6,605,213 (an increase of 263,066, or 4.1%, from theprevious year). This has consistently continued to trend
upward since the year 2004, when the number of cases
exceeded 5 million for the first time. The number of times
ambulance service dispatches were sent out taken as adaily average is approximately 18,096 (an increase of 720
from the previous year), meaning that ambulance service
teams were dispatched at a rate of once every 4.8 seconds
or so (this was 5.0 seconds in the previous year).
What is more, the number of people transported byambulance has also consistently continued its upward
swing, coming to 5,960,295 people (an increase of
224,209 people, or 3.9%, from the previous year). Thismeans that one out of every 21 people of the public has
been transported by an ambulance service team (thiswas one out of every 22 people in the previous year).
Looking at this by the type of accident that led people tobe transported by an ambulance reveals that 3,891,040
people (65.3%) due to sudden illness 912,346 people(2) People Transported by the Severity of Their
Injury or Illness
Of the 5,960,295 people transported by ambulancesin 2018, the majority were people with minor injuries orillnesses that did not require hospitalization (outpatientcare) or other cases (cases where a doctor did not provide
a diagnosis, etc.). (Table 2-5-3)(3) People Transported by Ambulance by Age
Group and Type of Accident
Viewing a breakdown of the 5,960,295 people
transported by ambulance in 2018 by age group reveals
that 13,317 of them were newborn infants (0.2%), 266,032
were young children (4.5%), 205,897 were youths (3.5%),
1,935,986 were adults (32.5%), and 3,539,063 were
elderly people (59.4%). As the aging of society advances,
the share accounted for by elderly people will continue
to trend upwards year by year (an increase of 0.6%

Table 2-5-1 Trends in the number of ambulance services and number ofpeople transported
CategoryYear

No. of ambulance service dispatch
Of which
Total No. of Of which
No. via fire
No. viaambulanceand disasterambulanceserviceprevention
dispatch(Ａ)
helicopter(During each year)

People transported

Difference/rate ofchange(%) fromprevious year

Total No.
of people
transported

Of which
No. via fire
Of whichand disasterNo. viaambulance prevention
helicopter

Difference/rate ofchange (%)
from previous year

Of(A), No. of
dispatch due tosudden illness(B)

Ratio of(B) to (A)
(%)

2003

4,832,900

4,830,813

2,087

274,951( 6.0 )

4,577,403

4,575,325

2,078

245,486( 5.7 )

2,819,620

58.4

2004

5,031,464

5,029,108

2,356

198,564( 4.1 )

4,745,872

4,743,469

2,403

168,469( 3.7 )

2,953,471

58.7

2005

5,280,428

5,277,936

2,492

248,964( 4.9 )

4,958,363

4,955,976

2,387

212,491( 4.5 )

3,167,046

60.0

2006

5,240,478

5,237,716

2,762▲39,950(▲0.8)

4,895,328

4,892,593

2,735▲63,035(▲1.3)

3,163,822

60.4

2007

5,293,403

5,290,236

3,167

52,925( 1.0 )

4,905,585

4,902,753

2,832

10,257( 0.2 )

3,223,990

60.9

2008

5,100,370

5,097,094

3,276▲193,033(▲3.6)

4,681,447

4,678,636

2,811▲224,138(▲4.6)

3,102,423

60.9

2009

5,125,936

5,122,226

3,710

25,566( 0.5 )

4,686,045

4,682,991

3,054

4,598

( 0.1 )

3,141,882

61.3

2010

5,467,620

5,463,682

3,938

341,684( 6.7 )

4,982,512

4,979,537

2,975

296,467( 6.3 )

3,389,044

62.0

2011

5,711,102

5,707,655

3,447

243,482( 4.5 )

5,185,313

5,182,729

2,584

202,801( 4.1 )

3,562,208

62.4

2012

5,805,701

5,802,455

3,246

94,599( 1.7 )

5,252,827

5,250,302

2,525

67,514( 1.3 )

3,648,074

62.9

2013

5,918,939

5,915,683

3,256

113,238( 2.0 )

5,348,623

5,346,087

2,536

95,796( 1.8 )

3,732,953

63.1

2014

5,988,377

5,984,921

3,456

69,438( 1.2 )

5,408,635

5,405,917

2,718

60,012( 1.1 )

3,781,249

63.2

2015

6,058,190

6,054,815

3,375

69,813( 1.2 )

5,481,252

5,478,370

2,882

72,617( 1.3 )

3,851,978

63.6

2016

6,213,628

6,209,964

3,664

155,438( 2.6 )

5,624,034

5,621,218

2,816

142,782( 2.6 )

3,975,380

64.0

2017

6,345,517

6,342,147

3,370

131,889( 2.1 )

5,738,664

5,736,086

2,578

114,630( 2.0 )

4,061,989

64.0

2018

6,608,341

6,605,213

3,128

262,824( 4.1 )

5,962,613

5,960,295

2,318

223,949( 3.9 )

4,294,924

65.0(Note) Prepared based on “The Annual Report on Ambulance Service” and ”The Survey on the Current Status of Fire and Disaster Prevention andEarthquake Countermeasures”.

40Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-5-2 Trends in the number of ambulance dispatch by type of accident and the number of people
transported(During each year)
During 2017
By type of accident

No. of dispatch(People transported)

During 2018

Composition rate(％)

No. of dispatch(People transported)

YoY

Composition rate(％)

Rate of change(%)

Difference

Sudden illness

4,061,989(3,686,438)

64.0(64.3)

4,294,924(3,891,040)

65.0(65.3)

232,935
204,602

5.7
5.6

Traffic accident

481,473(466,043)

7.6
(8.1)

459,977(441,582)

7.0
(7.4)

-21,496-24,461-4.5-5.2

Ordinary injury

965,376(883,375)

15.2(15.4)

997,804(912,346)

15.1(15.3)

32,42828,971

3.4
3.3

Self-inflicted injury

52,347(35,377)0.8(-0.7)

51,994(35,156)

0.8
(0.6)

-353
-221

-0.7
-0.6

Work-related injury

53,579(52,189)

0.8
(0.9)

58,891(57,500)

0.9
(1.0)

5,312
5,311

9.9
10.2

Assault

33,754(25,957)

0.5
(0.5)

32,709(25,038)

0.5
(0.4)

-1,045
-919

-3.1
-3.5

Sports/athletics

42,356(41,950)

0.7
(0.7)

43,785(43,349)

0.7
(0.7)

1,429
1,399

3.4
3.3

Fire

23,169(5,331)0.4(0.1)

22,925(5,393)

0.3
(0.1)

-244
62

-1.1
1.2

Flood

5,060
(2,327)

0.1
(0.0)

5,249
(2,318)

0.1
(0.0)

189
-9

3.7
-0.4

755
(524)

0.0
(0.0)

2,540
(1,957)

0.0
(0.0)

1,785
1,433

236.4
273.5

Other

622,289(536,575)

9.8
(9.4)

634,415(544,616)

9.6
(9.1)

12,126
8,041

1.9
1.5

Total

6,342,147(5,736,086)

100
(100)

6,605,213(5,960,295)

100
(100)

263,066
224,209

4.1
3.9

Natural disaster(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Annual Report on Ambulance Service”.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so in some cases the totals may not be consistent.

Table 2-5-3 Number of people transported by ambulance by type of accident and severity of their injury/ illness(During 2018)
Category

Type ofincident

Serious(Lengthy
hospitalization)

Death

Moderate(Hospitalization)

Minor(Outpatient care)

Other

Total

Sudden illness

63,122(1.6)

292,868(7.5)

1,640,085(42.2)

1,893,680(48.7)

1,285
(0.0)

3,891,040(100)

Traffic accident

1,871
(0.4)

17,061(3.9)

88,206(20.0)

334,124(75.7)

320(0.1)

441,582(100)

Ordinary injury

5,635
(0.6)

57,615(6.3)

312,755(34.3)

535,862(58.7)

479(0.1)

912,346
(100)

Other

7,511
(1.1)

119,869(16.8)

440,972(61.6)

145,880(20.4)

1,095
(0.2)

715,327
(100)

Total

78,139(1.3)

487,413(8.2)

2,482,018(41.6)

2,909,546(48.8)

3,179
(0.1)

5,960,295(100.0)(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Annual Report on Ambulance Service”.
2 The severity of injuries or illnesses at the time of the initial medical examination are classified as follows.
(1) Dead: Persons confirmed to be dead at the time of the initial medical examination(2) Severe condition (lengthy hospitalization): Persons whose injury or illness is so severe that they require hospitalization lasting three weeks
or longer(3) Moderate condition (hospitalization): Persons whose injury or illness are neither severe nor mild(4) Mild condition (outpatient care): Persons whose injury or illness does not require hospitalization(5) Other: Persons who have not been diagnosed by a physician, persons for whom the extent of their injury or illness is not clear, or persons
who were transported to another location
  * Since the extent of injuries or illnesses are categorized by using the amount of hospitalization required as the criteria, mild condition
includes persons who required treatment at a hospital in the early stages and persons who required treatment at a hospital on a regularbasis.
3 The numbers in parentheses show the proportion, and their unit is %.
4 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so in some cases the totals may not be consistent.

41

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities(5) Time Required to Check the Patient into a
Hospital
Looking at a breakdown of the 5,960,295 people
transported by ambulance in 2018 by the time required
to check the patient into a hospital (time required tocheck the patient into a hospital after the 119 report wasreceived) reveals that the majority of people were checkedin between 30 and 60 minutes at 3,757,152 people (63.0%).
(Fig. 2-5-3)
In addition, the average time required to check thepatient into a hospital came to 39.5 minutes (39.3 minutes,
the previous year), which is 4.5 minutes longer than it wasten years ago (2008). (Fig. 2-5-4)

from the previous year). (Fig. 2-5-1, Attachment 2-5-3
untranslated)
What is more, elderly people accounted for the largest
percentage of the people transported by ambulance forsudden illnesses (2,411,050 people, or 62.0%), while
the largest percentage transported for traffic accidents
consisted of adults (270,309 people, or 61.2%) and thelargest percentage for ordinary injuries consisted ofelderly people (621,929 people, or 68.2%). (Attachment
2-5-3 untranslated)(4) Time Required to Arrive at the Scene
Looking at a breakdown of the 6,605,213 cases inwhich ambulances were dispatched in 2018 by the timerequired to arrive at the scene (time it took to arrive at thescene after the 119 report was received) reveals that in
the majority of cases it took between five and ten minutes(4,071,362 cases, or 61.6% of the total). (Fig. 2-5-2)
Moreover, the average time required to arrive at thescene came to 8.7 minutes (8.6 minutes, the previousyear), which is 1.0 minutes longer than it was ten years
ago (2008). (Fig. 2-5-4)(6) First-aid Treatment Administered by
Ambulance Team Members
Of the 5,960,295 people transported by ambulances in
2018, ambulance team members administered first-aid
treatment to 5,837,390 patients (97.9%). This brings thetotal number of cases in which ambulance crew members
administered first-aid treatment to 22,549,804. (Table 2-54)

Fig. 2-5-1 Trends in the composition rate for people transported by age group(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Annual Report on Ambulance Service”.
2 The age groups are divided up as follows:(1) Newborn infants: People who are less than 28 days old(2) Young children: People between the ages of 28 days and 7 years(3) Adolescents: People between the ages of 7 and 18 years(4) Adults: People between the ages of 18 and 65 years(5) Elderly people: People age 65 or older
3 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so in some cases the totals may not be consistent.

42

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

What is more, the total number of cases in which first-aid
treatment was administered by ambulance crew members
since their expansion in 1991 (items with * symbol inTable 2-5-4) came to 16,003,545 (a 5.1% increase year-onyear (YoY)). Of these, the number of cases in which EMTs
administered first-aid treatment in order to resuscitatea patient (defibrillation*1 (including cases administeredby non-EMT ambulance crews), tracheal intubation,*2
ensuring respiratory tracts using laryngeal masks, etc.,*3
ensuring intravenous channels, *4 drug administration,*5
Use of self-injectable adrenaline preparations,*6 measuring
blood sugar,*7 and administration of grape sugar*8) cameto 235,749 (an increase of 19,928 from the previous year),which is a roughly 9.2% increase year on year.

Fig. 2-5-2 No. of dispatch by time required forthe ambulance to arrive at the scene

Fig. 2-5-3 No. of people transported by ambulanceby time it took to check them into a hospital(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the totals may not be consistent.

(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials”.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the totals may not be consistent.

Fig. 2-5-4 Trends in the amount of time it takes ambulances to arrive at the scene and the time it takes
to check the patient into a hospital(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on Emergency Service Implementation Status”.
2 Due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the figures were totaled by excluding data from the Kamaishi Ootsuchi District
Administrative Office Fire Department and the Rikuzentakata City Fire Department from 2010 and 2011.
*1
*2
*3
*4
*5
*6
*7
*8

Defibrillation: This refers to the application of electrical shock to lethal arrhythmia (ventricular fibrillation) whereby minor tremors in the heart, such asheart spasms, make it impossible for blood to flow, as a means of dispelling said tremors.
Tracheal intubation: A process of securing the airway via the larynx with endo tracheal tube.
Laryngeal mask: This is a type of ventilation tube used to ensure the openness of the respiratory tract. It is fastened in place so as to cover the larynx
to ensure open breathing channels.
Ensuring intravenous channels: A process of securing transfusion channels by inserting needles or tubes intravenously. Ensuring intravenous channels
makes it possible to administer medications intravenously right away when they are needed.
Drug administration: This refers to administering epinephrine (also called adrenaline; simply called “epinephrine” hereafter) under the specificinstructions of a doctor.
Measuring blood sugar: The measurement of blood sugar levels in sick or injured patients with impaired consciousness.
Administration of grape sugar: This refers to the act of administering grape sugar under the specific instructions of a doctor.
Use of self-injectable adrenaline preparations: In cases where sick or injured patients whose lives are at risk from anaphylactic shock have beenprescribed self-injectable adrenaline formulations in advance, EMTs will administer said adrenaline via self-injectable adrenaline preparations.

43

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-5-4 First-aid Treatment Administered by Ambulance Team Members
Type of incident

Sudden illness

No. of people transported who were given first-aid treatment

Traffic accident(During 2018)

Ordinary injury

Other

Total

3,820,761

428,738

888,235

699,656

5,837,390

Stanching bleeding

22,087(0.1)

20,835(1.2)

77,563(2.4)

16,816(0.6)

137,301(0.6)

Covering

26,623(0.2)

77,540(4.6)

192,338(5.9)

37,602(1.4)

334,103(1.5)

Immobilization

41,199(0.3)

184,495(11.0)

161,734(4.9)

46,631(1.8)

434,059(1.9)

Keeping warm

1,076,830(7.2)

80,902(4.8)

225,293(6.9)

175,735(6.6)

1,558,760(6.9)

Oxygen inhalation

792,990(5.3)

33,022(2.0)

56,633(1.7)

192,888(7.3)

1,075,533(4.8)

Artificial respiration

32,730
(0.2)

851
(0.1)

3,395
(0.1)

4,917
(0.2)

41,893(0.2)

Pressure on sternum

9,214
(0.1)

296
(0.0)

1,086
(0.0)

1,151
(0.0)

11,747(0.1)

Of which, cases involving automatic heart massagers
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

2,731

53

328

286

3,398

100,473
(0.7)

2,836
(0.2)

11,180(0.3)

11,280(0.4)

125,769(0.6)

Items for which first-aid treatment were administered

Of which, cases involving automatic heart massagers

14,097

312

1,662

1,421

17,492

38,112
(0.3)

315
(0.0)

3,367
(0.1)

3,734
(0.1)

45,528
(0.2)

43
(0.0)

8
(0.0)

8
(0.0)

10
(0.0)

69
(0.0)

*Measuring blood pressure

3,509,181(23.5)

410,322(24.5)

820,301(25.0)

641,804(24.3)

5,381,608(23.9)*Listening for heartbeat/sounds of breathing

1,206,130(8.1)

132,701(7.9)

171,813(5.2)

152,373(5.8)

1,663,017(7.4)*Measuring blood oxygenation levels

3,612,250(24.2)

416,322(24.8)

850,811(26.0)

668,508(25.3)

5,547,891(24.6)*ECG measurements

2,337,629(15.6)

121,823(7.3)

284,396(8.7)

344,829(13.0)

3,088,677(13.7)

163,154
(1.1)

4,560
(0.3)

16,580(0.5)

19,167(0.7)

203,461(0.9)*Continuation of home medical treatment*Medical Anti-shock trousers

Ensuring respiratory tracts*Of which, nasal airways

8,077

134

815

1,040

10,066*Of which, laryngoscope, forceps, etc.

6,326

123

3,131

470

10,050*Of which, laryngeal mask, etc.

35,534

679

2,819

2,620

41,652*Of which, tracheal intubation

7,097

153

2,334

868

10,452*Defibrillation

11,425
(0.1)

188
(0.0)

526
(0.0)

782
(0.0)

12,921(0.1)*Ensuring intravenous lines

60,009
(0.4)

2,038
(0.1)

5,837
(0.2)

4,633
(0.2)

72,517(0.3)*Of which, cases before CPA

20,900

1,218

1,232

1,158

24,508*Of which, cases after CPA

39,149

826

4,608

3,479

48,062*Drug administration

24,887
(0.2)

574
(0.0)

2,850
(0.1)

2,212
(0.1)

30,523(0.1)*Measuring blood sugar

55,703
(0.4)

458
(0.0)

1,388
(0.0)

1,001
(0.0)

58,550(0.3)*Administration of grape sugar

8,731
(0.1)

34
(0.0)

34
(0.0)

57
(0.0)

8,856
(0.0)

*Self-injectable adrenaline preparation

197
(0.0)

6
(0.0)

40
(0.0)

35
(0.0)

278
(0.0)

1,821,846(12.2)

187,090(11.2)

391,187(11.9)

316,620(12.0)

2,716,743(12.0)

Total

14,951,443(100)

1,677,216(100)

3,278,360(100)

2,642,785(100)

22,549,804(100)

Expanded first-aid treatments, etc.

10,938,159

1,086,243

2,152,460

1,826,683

16,003,545

Other treatments(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Annual Report on Ambulance Service”.
2 Since there are cases in which several types of first-aid treatment were administered to one person, the totals for the number of people
transported who received first-aid treatment and the items on first-aid treatment by type of incident do not align.
3 The numbers in parentheses show the proportion, and their unit is %.
4 The * symbol indicates first-aid treatment items that were expanded in 1991.
5 Shows the first-aid treatments administered to sick and injured patients transported by ambulance.

Table 2-5-5 Trends in the number of municipalities offering ambulance services
Category(As of April 1 of each year)

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

No. of municipalities

3,048

2,352

1,784

1,769

1,753

1,742

1,692

1,689

1,685

1,685

1,686

1,689

1,690

1,690

1,690

1,690

Municipal implementation
rate (%)

98.3

98.2

98.0

98.0

98.0

98.0

97.9

97.9

98.0

98.0

98.0

98.3

98.3

98.3

98.3

98.3

Population coverage rate
(%)

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

99.9

Group

(Note) Prepared based on “The Annual Report on Ambulance Service”.

44Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Fig. 2-5-5 Breakdown of the configurations bywhich ambulance services are offered

2. Implementation Structure forAmbulance Services(1) Number of Municipalities Offering Ambulance
Services
The number of municipalities offering ambulanceservices as of April 1, 2019 came to 1,690 municipalities(793 cities, 736 towns, and 161 villages) (the special
wards of Tokyo were counted as one city; the same
hereafter).
A m b u l a n c e s e r v i c e s a r e o ff e r e d i n 9 8 . 3 % o fmunicipalities (same as last year), and cover 99.9% of thetotal population (same as last year; the population used isfrom the 2015 national census; the same hereafter), whichmeans that ambulance services can be received in virtually
every region. (Table 2-5-5)
When viewed by the configuration through which said
ambulance services were offered, 437 municipalities
offered them independently, 143 did so by outsourcing
them, and 1,110 did so through special district authorities
and extended associations. (Fig. 2-5-5, Attachment 2-5-3
untranslated)(Note)(2) Number of Ambulance Teams, Ambulance
Team Members and Associate Ambulance Team
Members
As of April 1, 2019, 5,215 ambulance teams (anincrease of 36 YoY) had been established. (Fig. 2-5-6)
Since ambulance team members are engaged in theimportant duty of saving people’s lives, they mustcomplete at least 135 hours’ worth of training courses on
ambulance services (the former Ambulance I Course).
As of April 1, 2019, the number of firefighters who
fulfilled this eligibility requirement came to 127,622(an increase of 3,193 YoY). Of these, 63,723 were

1 Prepared based on “The Accident Reports on Hazardous
Materials.
2 Digits in the second decimal place were rounded off, so insome cases the totals may not be consistent.

engaged in ambulance services as ambulance teammembers (including not only full-time ambulance teammembers, but also ambulance team members who havebeen appointed as such and who concurrently serve on
firefighting vehicles such as pump vehicles by riding
along with them). (Fig. 2-5-7)
What is more, of the firefighters who fulfilled theeligibility requirements to be ambulance team members,
the number who had completed 250 hours’ worth ofambulance courses to enable them to provide evenmore advanced first-aid treatment (including the former
Ambulance Standard Course and former Ambulance II

Fig. 2-5-6 Trends in the number of ambulance teams(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on Emergency Service Implementation Status”.

45

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Fig. 2-5-7 Trends in the number of ambulance team members(Note) Prepared based on the Survey on Emergency Service Implementation Status.

Course) came to 85,437 people (an increase of 1,940
YoY) nationwide as of April 1, 2019. Of these, 34,136
are engaged in ambulance services as ambulance teammembers.
As of April 1, 2019, 18 associate ambulance teammember are engaged in ambulance services in nationwide.
In December 2018, the FDMA promulgated an ordinanceto partially revise the Ordinance of Enforcement for
the Fire Service Act, and from April 1, 2017, when amunicipality establishes a plan (implementation plan)that describes the matters specified in an ordinance ofthe Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications asmeasures to ensure appropriate ambulance services indepopulated areas and remote islands, it will be possible

Fig. 2-5-8 Trends in the number of ambulance teams with EMTs

(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on Emergency Service Implementation Status”.

46

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Fig. 2-5-9 Trends in the number of EMTs

(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on Emergency Service Implementation Status”.

throughout Japan as of April 1, 2019 came to 6,364 (anincrease of 35 YoY), including those for emergency use.
Of these, the number of high-standard ambulances came
to 6,179 (an increase of 74 YoY), which corresponds to
97.1% of the total.

to form an ambulance team with two paramedics andone associate paramedic. In this case, it is possible toform an ambulance team with two ambulance teammembers and one associate ambulance team member.
An associate ambulance team member is defined as afull-time firefighter who has completed a basic training
course (92 hours) on ambulance services, and others. For
example, it is assumed that a government employee who
has completed the above course and is also assigned toa full-time firefighter. In addition, it also stipulates thatthose who have the same or higher level of knowledge
and experience as those who have completed the abovementioned courses may be designated as associate
ambulance team members. They are doctors, public healthnurses, nurses, associate nurses, EMTs, and those whohave completed the Ambulance class.

(5) Ambulance Services along National and Other
Expressways
When it comes to ambulance services along national
expressways, the Seto-Chuo Expressway, and the KobeAwaji-Naruto Expressway (hereafter referred to as“national and other expressways”), the East Nippon
Expressway Company, Central Nippon Expressway
Company, West Nippon Expressway Company, andHonshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company (hereafterreferred to as “expressway companies”) are responsible
for road management operations and offering centralized,
independent ambulance services. Moreover, themunicipalities along said expressways are responsible forhandling ambulance services as per the provisions of theFire Service Act. So it has been stipulated that both parties
are to work together to properly and efficiently safeguard
human life.
As of March 31, 2019, ambulance services along
national and other expressway were provided by municipal
firefighting agencies over every section of the 9,155km of
the length of expressway currently in use. The expressway
companies bear a certain extent of the financial burdenthat is placed on the municipalities providing ambulanceservices.

(3) Trends in the Number of EMTs and AmbulanceTeams with EMTs
As a result of the increasing sophistication of
ambulance services, the FDMA promotes the fostering of
EMTs and the setting in place of structures for making useof them. The objective is a structure where at least one
EMT is stationed with every ambulance team.
As of April 1, 2019, 725 fire departments out of 726
fire departments in Japan are making use of EMTs, andthe usage rate is 99.9% (same as the previous year). The
number of ambulance teams with EMTs came to 5,178(an increase of 46 YoY), which corresponds to 99.3% of
the 5,215 ambulance teams throughout Japan (an increaseof 0.2% from the previous year), with this rising year by
year. What is more, there were 38,388 fire departments
personnel with EMT qualifications (an increase of 1,245
people YoY). Of these, 27,387 had been put to use as
EMTs (an increase of 806 people YoY), with this number
steadily increasing year by year. (Fig. 2-5-8, Fig. 2-5-9)

3. Promoting Coordination between
Firefighting and Medical Care
(1) Acceptance of People Using Ambulance
Transport at Medical Institutions
Reports were received on cases in which problems
arose in choosing medical institutions to receive patientsduring ambulance transport in regions all over Japan.

(4) Number of Ambulances
The number of ambulances owned by fire departments

47

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

Based on these, in October 2007 the FDMA performed thefirst survey on the actual state of acceptance for pregnant
or perinatal patients transported from 2004 to 2006.
Moreover, for the survey on the actual acceptance status
regarding ambulance transport in 2007, the survey was
carried out not only on pregnant and perinatal patients, butalso focused on patients with severe conditions or worse,young patients, and patients transported to critical carecenters.
In the “Survey of Medical Institution Acceptance ofAmbulance Transports in 2018”, the number of caseswith 4 or more inquiries and cases with a stay of 30
minutes or more at the scene were compared to thesame survey in 2017. The number of cases transporting
young patients (under 15) decreased, while the numberof cases transporting patients with severe condition orworse, pregnant or perinatal cases, and critical care center
cases increased. The percentage of cases transporting
young patients (under 15) remained unchanged, while
the percentage of cases transporting patients with severe
condition or worse, pregnant or perinatal cases, andcritical care center cases increased. (Table 2-5-6, Table
2-5-7)

difficult to select an accepting medical institution during
ambulance transport, in 2009 the FDMA worked together
with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to enact
the Standards on Patient Transport and Their Acceptance(hereafter referred to as the “acceptance standards”) for the
prefectures. It also revised the Fire Service Act to include
content mandating the establishment of committees
concerning the acceptance standards (hereafter referred
to as “legally-mandated committees”). The revised Fire
Service Act was enacted on October 30, 2009. At present,
committees have been established in every prefecture, andacceptance standards have been formulated as well.
The hope is that through the legally-mandated
committees, the prefectures will survey and verify thetransport of patients and their acceptance status basedon the acceptance standards. Then, based on this, it ishoped that they will tie the results of this in with making
improvements to the acceptance standards and so forth.
For its part, the FDMA works to get a grasp of thestatus of initiatives by and challenges for each of theprefectures. It also makes efforts to follow-up, such as bybroadly getting a grasp of and introducing case examples
of initiatives by local regions that are striving to operate
this effectively.
Each prefecture and local region brings together
firefighting agencies and medical organizations (including
hospital departments other than those offering ambulance(2) Standards on Patient Transport and Their
AcceptanceIn light of the occurrence of cases in which it isTable 2-5-6 Trends in the number of cases in which four or more acceptance inquiries were made to
medical institutions
2014
No.

2015

Percentage

No.

2016

Percentage

No.

2017

Percentage

No.

2018

Percentage

No.

Percentage

cases in which patients withsevere conditions or worse
were transported

14,114

3.2%

11,754

2.7%

10,039

2.3%

9,834

2.2%

10,861

2.4%

cases in which pregnant
or perinatal patients weretransported

617

3.8%

549

3.7%

540

3.5%

475

3.3%

545

3.6%

cases in which young
patients(under 15) weretransported

8,708

2.4%

8,570

2.4%

7,527

2.0%

6,442

1.7%

6,368

1.7%

cases in which patients weretransported to critical carecenters

26,7403.6%

25,411

3.3%

20,248

2.6%

20,262

2.5%

23,116

2.6%(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on the Actual Acceptance Status at Medical Institutions for Emergency Transport in 2017”.
2 There is some overlap.
3 The percentage is the percentage versus the total number of people transported from each respective category.

Table 2-5-7 Trends in the number of cases where the time spent at the scene was 30 minutes or longer
2014
No.

2015

Percentage

No.

2016

Percentage

No.

2017

Percentage

No.

2018

Percentage

No.

Percentage

cases in which patients withsevere conditions or worse
were transported

23,5005.3%

22,3795.2%

22,104

5.0%

22,6205.0%

23,643

5.1%

cases in which pregnant
or perinatal patients weretransported

1,267

7.8%

1,194

7.9%

1,161

7.5%

1,112

7.8%

1,257

8.2%

cases in which young
patients(under 15) weretransported

11,423

3.2%

12,0393.4%

12,237

3.2%

11,515

3.1%

11,494

3.1%

cases in which patients weretransported to critical carecenters

45,208

6.1%

47,030

6.1%

40,213

5.1%

42,491

5.2%

47,455

5.3%(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on the Actual Acceptance Status at Medical Institutions for Emergency Transport in 2017”.
2 There is some overlap.
3 The percentage is the percentage versus the total number of people transported from each respective category.

48

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

4. Promotion of More SophisticatedAmbulance Services

service) and sometimes just medical organizations, as wellas healthcare centers, welfare, police, and other relatedorganizations according to the local circumstances inorder to thoroughly discuss and share their awareness ofproblems through ex-post inspections of transport andacceptance conditions. In addition, through the creation of“relationships with a visible face” on an everyday basis,
it is important that they continue to draft more specificand effective rules (revisions to acceptance standards,etc.) geared towards smooth transport and acceptance.
Each group is being called upon to make greater efforts
regarding such initiatives. For its part, the FDMA has
resolved to continue carrying out the necessary surveys
and providing information to contribute to improving theapplication of the acceptance standards at the prefecturalcommittees and to discussions over revisions to them.
In light of the revisions to the Fire Service Act and thefact that emergency transport is carried out based upon
the acceptance standards, local governmental financial
measures are being taken through special tax grants withrespect to the costs entailed by the assistance rendered to
private secondary ambulance institutions*9 by local publicbodies in an effort to enhance ambulance medical carestructures in local regions.

(1) Promotion of Education for Ambulance
Service Personnel
On August 15, 1991, in order to enhance pre-hospitalcare (first aid treatment at the scene of an emergency andduring transportation to a hospital or clinic) and improve
the lifesaving rate in Japan, the Emergency Medical
Technicians Act was enforced and a new qualification
system was set up for EMTs who are responsible for
performing certain first-aid treatment under the directionof physicians until the ambulance team members arrive at
the scene to transport the victim to a hospital or clinic.
In the case of firefighters, the EMT qualification
can be obtained by completing an ambulance services
course, engaging in ambulance services for 5 years or atleast 2,000 hours, and then completing an EMT training
course for at least 6 months before passing a national
examination. After obtaining the qualification, in order for
EMTs to engage in ambulance services, they are required
to take at least 160 hours of hospital training according
to the hospital training guidelines. It is recommended
that after that, they subsequently take at least 128 hoursof further training every two years (of which, hospitaltraining should be at least 48 hours).
The FDMA has been promoting various measures at
firefighting schools in prefectures, etc. so that the firstaid course can be implemented smoothly based on
the increase of first-aid treatment contents and so that
EMTs can undergo steady training. As the educationand training in order to acquire EMT qualifications (1)includes advanced and specialized contents, (2) requires
securing an instructor related to ambulance medical care,and (3) requires consideration be given to the efficiencyof the education and training, etc., the enactment of
the Emergency Medical Technicians Act lead to theestablishment of the Foundation for Ambulance Service
Development was established in 1991 with the investmentof 47 prefectures nationwide for the purpose of training
EMTs of fire departments. It has since been engaged in the
training of EMTs.
In FY2018, 794 EMTs at the EMT Training Center of
the Foundation for Ambulance Service Development and397 EMTs at the EMT training centers in the designatedcities completed the training course and took the national
examination.
Against the backdrop of it being nearly 30 years since
the Emergency Medical Technicians Act was enforced
and having trained personnel to guide other EMTs, by
experienced EMTs conducting field activities that aredone in an environment different from that of a sceneof an emergency at a hospital, it improves the quality ofemergency services and secures the trust of the publicand contributes to reducing the educational burden on
fire departments and medical institutions. Thus, the rolerequired of EMTs in leadership positions (hereinafter
leader EMTs) is increasing.
As the requirements for EMT instructors and theeducational curriculum necessary for their training wereexpressed at the “Examination Committee on the Vision(3) Ambulance Medical Care StructureWith regards to the notification status of ambulance
hospitals and ambulance clinics, which constitute theprimary destinations to which patients are taken, as ofApril 1, 2019 there were 4,172 such locations throughout
Japan. (Attachment 2-5-5 untranslated)
There are 575 weekend and nighttime ambulance carecenters (as of April 1, 2019) that ensure that initial medicalcare can be received on weekends and at nights, which
serve as the initial ambulance medical care structure.
By way of the secondary medical care structure, 2,873
hospitals on a hospital-group rotating system and jointuse hospitals have been established (as of April 1, 2019),
and so have 291 critical care centers (as of July 1, 2019)by way of the tertiary medical care structure. Moreover,among the critical care centers are advanced critical carecenters capable of handling patients with specific illnesses
or injuries, such as extensive burns, severed digits andlimbs, and acute poisoning, of which 42 locations havebeen set in place (as of July 1, 2019).
Approval for ambulance hospitals and ambulanceclinics is provided through ambulance reporting structures,
while the installation of initial, secondary, and tertiary
ambulance care structures is performed in an integrated
manner under the medical care plans established by
prefectural governors.
Under these ambulance care structures and through theacceptance standards enacted by the prefectures throughthe provisions of the Fire Service Act, a list of medical
institutions that can provide medical care according topatients’ conditions has been compiled. Firefighting
agencies use this list when carrying out ambulancetransport operations.

*9Among secondary medical institutions, ambulance service notice institutions (excluding national and public medical institutions and public
institutions).

49

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

of Emergency Services” held by the FDMA in 2013, theEmergency Lifesaving Kyushu Training Center opened its
doors in May 2014 and of September the same year, theEmergency Department of the FDMA’s Fire and Disaster
Management College Emergency started the educationnecessary to receive certification as an EMT. Some fire
academy schools conduct their own training of EMTs.
Furthermore, in November 2015, the FDMA createdthe “EMT Training Textbook” as a nationwide standard
that expanded the curriculum to more specific educational
content in order to facilitate further training of EMTs.
In addition, the promotion of national exchanges among
ambulance team members and the improvement of skills
relating to emergency efforts are being done throughtraining and research opportunities such as the National
Ambulance-Crew Symposium and the Japanese Society
for Emergency Medicine.

specific course and hospital training. As of April 1, 2019,of ambulance team members who are qualified EMTs,
15,137 of them can perform tracheal intubation.
When using an endotracheal tube to secure the airway,
because using a video laryngoscope will increase thesafety and certainty of securing the airway, from August
2011, EMTs who have completed the specified training
and hospital training and have been certified are allowed
to use a video laryngoscope, and therefore it is expectedthat the regional medical control councils will continue toconsider its operation. As of April 1, 2019, of ambulanceteam members who are qualified EMTs, 5,480 of them canperform treatment with a video laryngoscope.
[3] Drug administration (adrenaline)
From April 2006, on the condition that the medical
control system is established before and after drug
administration, drug administration can be performedby an EMT who has been recognized as completing thespecific course and hospital training. As of April 1, 2019,of ambulance team members who are qualified EMTs,
26,230 of them can administer drugs (adrenaline).
Furthermore, from March 2009, if the patient who
is in a life-threatening state due to anaphylactic shock
is someone who has been prescribed an adrenaline
preparation in advance that can be self-injected, it ispossible for an EMT to administer the adrenaline.
[4] Intravenous catheterization and infusion for patients
suffering from a severe cardiopulmonary arrest, andblood glucose measurement and administration of glucose
solution
From April 2014, on the condition that the medical
control system is established before and after drug
administration, drug intravenous catheterizationand infusion for patients suffering from a severe
cardiopulmonary arrest and blood glucose measurement
and administration of glucose solution for cases ofhypoglycemic attacks can be performed by an EMT who
has been recognized as completing the specific courseand hospital training. As of April 1, 2019, among theambulance team members who are qualified as EMTs,
22,891 of them can perform intravenous catheterizationand infusion for patients suffering from a severe
cardiopulmonary arrest, and 22,924 of them can takeblood glucose measurements and administer a glucose
solution.

(2) Increase in the Treatment Scope of EMTs
The treatment scope of EMTs has, on the premise of
establishing the medical control system described in (3),gradually increased as shown in [Increase in treatment
scope over time] [1] to [4].
The most recent example of increasing the treatment
scope of EMTs is [4], and its backstory is as follows.
−From 2011, in the “Research on the treatment scopeof EMTs”, in order to improve the lifesaving rate of the
injured and sick and reduce the aftereffects, the clinicalefficacy, safety, and effectiveness of the three acts of (1)blood glucose measurement and administration of glucose
solution for cases of hypoglycemic attacks, (2) use of
an inhaled beta-adrenoceptor stimulant for patients withsevere asthma, and (3) intravenous catheterization andinfusion for cardiopulmonary arrests were conducted at
129 fire departments nationwide.
−As a result of analysis and consideration in thisempirical study, it was concluded that (1) and (3) of thethree acts in the report of the “Examination Meeting on
the Work of EMTs” published by the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare in August 2013, should be added tothe scope of treatment of EMTs. In response to this, from
April 1, 2014, intravenous catheterization and infusion forpatients suffering from a severe cardiopulmonary arrestand blood glucose measurement and administration of
glucose solution for cases of hypoglycemic attacks wereadded to the scope of EMT treatment.

(3) Enhancement of Medical Control System
The medical control system in pre-hospital care is asystem that ensures the quality of first aid, etc. performedby ambulance team members, including EMTs, from a
medical point of view. Specifically, it is a system that,in collaboration with fire departments and medical
institutions, [1] creates various protocols according to thecharacteristics of the region based on medical grounds,[2] enables emergency personnel to promptly request
instruction, guidance, or advice from physicians at any
time from a scene of an emergency, [3] has physicians
conduct a medical and objective post-verification of
emergency efforts, and feeds back the results of said postverification, as well as [4] conducting further education,etc. The Medical Control Council, which is a forum
for discussions between fire departments and medical
institutions, is established in each prefecture and eachregion. As of August 1, 2019, the number of Medical
Control Councils in each region is 251. The Medical[Increase in treatment scope over time][1] Defibrillation
Since April 2003, defibrillation, which has been carriedout by EMTs under the specific instructions of physicianssince the Emergency Medical Technicians Act was
enforced in 1991, can be carried out by an EMT under
the comprehensive instructions of a physician, on thecondition that the medical control system is established
before and after defibrillation, such as protocols are
created and popularized, courses required in line with thecourse curriculum are carried out, and the establishmentof a post-verification system for carrying out treatment inline with protocols, etc.
[2] Tracheal intubation
From July 2004, on the condition that the medical
control system is established before and after tracheal
intubation, tracheal intubation can be performed byan EMT who has been recognized as completing the50

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

Control Council is actively working to improve the qualityof emergency services through post-verification, etc. In
order to improve the quality of first aid, etc. performedby ambulance team members, including EMTs, andmake emergency services more sophisticated, such as byincreasing the scope of EMT treatment, it is necessary
to further enhance and strengthen the medical control
system.
The FDMA regularly holds the “National Medical
Control Council Liaison Meeting”, which was establishedin May 2007 together with the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare with the purpose of enhancing andstrengthening the National Medical Control Council andsharing information among related parties nationwide.
In addition, the Medical Control Council can also be
used for legal counsel on implementation standards basedon the Fire Service Act revised in 2009.
Furthermore, in recent years, the roles required of theMedical Control Council have diversified. For example,
as the number of elderly people requesting emergency
services is increasing, there are cases in which emergency
services are requested by the families of patients to stop
performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Basedon this background, the “Examination Committee on the
Implementation of CPR at the Scene of an Emergency
in Line with the Wishes of the Sick or Injured Person”
was established in the “2018 Examination Committee on
the Vision for Emergency Services” to conduct a factfinding survey of the status of efforts by fire departments,
etc. and organize and examine issues. At the examinationcommittee, experts indicated a basic awareness that ‘theperson’s choices’ should be respected’ in cases where
the patient’s family communicates at the scene of an
emergency that the patient does not want CPR treatment.
At scenes of emergencies, which consist of all kinds ofscenarios and are urgent situations and in many cases
there is no physician present, usually, the ambulance crew

has time and information-related restrictions such as thewishes of the injured or sick person are not shared withthem beforehand. Therefore, the committee concluded that
it is necessary to clarify the actual situation of the cases
and through verification in each place, to accumulateknowledge about the response of the ambulance crew bypulling together all the cases. The Examination Committee
introduced case studies from areas where CPR is planned
to be discontinued if, after thorough discussion at
somewhere like the Medical Control Council, one contacts
the primary care physician and receives an instruction to
discontinue CPR. It was once again acknowledged thatthe role played by the Medical Control Council is very
important.
(4) Use of Emergency Resuscitation Statistics(Utstein data)
In Japan, the Utstein approach*10 has been introduced
across all fire departments nationwide since January 2005.
This unified introduction across the entire country is a
first of its kind anywhere in the world and is an innovative
initiative. The FDMA also operates an online systemfor collecting and analyzing the results of research done
via the Utstein approach, and has accumulated 14 years’
worth of data from 2005 to 2018. On an application basis,the data is provided to related academic societies so thatthe accumulation of this data can be used appropriately
and effectively. The data is also used for constructing
measures and systems for improving the lifesaving rate.
In the past, the Utstein approach was published as“Utstein statistics” and “Status of lifesaving rate ofpatients suffering from cardiopulmonary dysfunction”, but
the name has been changed to “Emergency Resuscitation
Statistics” since 2009 in order to make it easier tounderstand that the statistics are for patients sufferingfrom cardiopulmonary dysfunction who were transported
to a hospital by an ambulance.

-omitted-*10 Utstein approach: This is a survey and statistical approach for classifying cases of cardiopulmonary arrest according to the cause, whether it was
witnessed or not, whether bystanders performed CPR or not, etc., and recording the prognosis (survival rate after one month, etc.) of the injured orsick in each category. It was proposed at an international conference held at Utstein Monastery in Norway in 1990 and is recommended worldwide.

51

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

6 Rescue System

Section☞ Japanese Original P.230

As part of this, the primary reason for the increase isdue to the increase in the number of rescue activities (anincrease of 3,386, or 14.9%, YoY) and the number ofpeople rescued (an increase of 2,744 people, or 12.9%,
YoY) in accidents caused by buildings. Secondarily, it
is due to the increase in the number of rescue activities(an increase of 691, or 215.9%, YoY) and the number ofpeople rescued (an increase of 3,084, or 248.3%, YoY)
in accidents caused by storms, floods and other natural
disaster incidents.

1. Implementation Status for Rescue
Activities(1) Number of Rescue Activities and Number ofPeople Rescued
The life-saving rescues performed by firefighting
agencies refer to activities whereby human or machinepower is used to extricate people from dangerous
situations and transport the victims to safe locations.
Examples of such dangerous situations include fires,
traffic accidents, water accidents, natural disasters, andaccidents due to machines.
As for the implementation status for rescue activities
throughout Japan in 2018, 61,507 rescue activities werecarried out (an increase of 5,192, or 9.2% increase,
YoY) and 63,836 people were rescued (this refers to thenumber of people rescued through rescue activities; anincrease of 6,172, or 10.7% increase, YoY). (Table 2-6-1,
Attachment 2-6-1 untranslated)(2) Implementation Status of Rescue Activities byType of Incident
Looking at the status of rescue activities by type ofincident reveals that the numbers for accidents caused bybuildings and traffic accidents remain high in terms ofboth the number of rescue activities and the number ofpeople rescued.
Accidents caused by buildings has been the type ofincident with the greatest number of rescue activities since2008. In terms of the number of people rescued, accident

Table 2-6-1 Trends in the number of rescue activities and number of people rescued
Category

No. of rescue activities
No.

Year

No. of people rescued

Change YoY (%)

No.

Change YoY (%)

During 2014

56,695△ 0.4

57,809During 2015

55,966△ 1.3

59,1900.3
2.4

During 2016

57,1482.1

57,955△ 2.1

During 201756,315△ 1.5

57,664△ 0.5

During 2018

61,507

9.2

63,836

10.7(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on the Implementation Status of Rescue Activities”.
2 This includes the number of activities by volunteer fire corps in municipalities where fire departments/fire stations
have not been established. The same holds true for the following data in this section.

Fig.2-6-1 Number of rescue activities by type ofincident

Fig.2-6-2 Number of people rescued by type ofincident(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on the Implementation Status ofRescue Activities”.

(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on the Implementation Status ofRescue Activities”.

52Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-6-2 Number of dispatches and status of activities by type of incident
Category

Fires

Year

Traffic
accidents

Water
accidents

Storms,floods, andother(During 2018)

Accidents
due tomachines

Accidents
due tobuildings

Gas/lackof oxygenaccidents

Raptureaccidents

Other

Total

No. of rescue activities

4,067
(6.6)

14,261(23.2)

2,806
(4.6)

1,011
(1.6)

1,227
(2.0)

26,135(42.5)

391
(0.6)

2
(0.0)

11,607(18.9)

61,507(100.0)No. of people rescued

1,430
(2.2)

18,813(29.5)

2,919
(4.6)

4,326
(6.8)

1,488
(2.3)

24,086(37.7)

335
(0.5)

1
(0.0)

10,438(16.4)

63,836(100.0)No. of rescue workers
dispatched

136,131(9.6)

332,724(23.6)

83,130(5.9)

20,231(1.4)

25,199(1.8)

427,611(30.3)

12,511
(0.9)

124
(0.0)

373,647(26.5)

1,411,308(100.0)No. of people who engaged
in rescue activities

57,609(9.9)

140,967(24.2)

41,285(7.1)

14,454(2.5)

11,923(2.0)

209,667(36.0)

3,854
(0.7)

9
(0.0)

102,644(17.6)

582,412(100.0)No. of rescue workers
dispatched

49,768(62.4)

1,322
(1.7)

4,141
(5.2)

3234
(4.1)

78
(0.1)

2,275
(2.9)

138
(0.2)

0
(0.0)

18,803(23.6)

79,759(100.0)No. of people who engaged
in rescue activities

7,041(43.3)

109
(0.7)

3,099
(19.1)

2663(16.4)

3
(0.0)

3
(0.0)

7
(0.0)

0
(0.0)

3,340
(20.5)

16,265(100.0)

15.9

9.9

15.8

16.9

9.7

8.0

9.9

4.5

9.1

9.7

Firefighters

Volunteer
firefighters

No. of people who engaged in rescue
activities per incident(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on the Implementation Status of Rescue Activities”.
2 The numbers in parenthesis show the proportion (%). Less than whole units were rounded up, so in some cases the totals may not be
consistent.
3 “No. of rescue workers dispatched” refers to the total number of people dispatched in order to carry out rescue activities.
4 “No. of people who engaged in rescue activities” refers to the number of people who actually engaged in rescue activities out of the number
dispatched.
5 “Accidents due to buildings” refer to accidents caused by the collapse of buildings, gates, fences, walls, and other facilities ancillary tobuildings or equivalent structures; accidents in which people were trapped within buildings; and accidents from people being caught between
buildings.
6 “Other” refers to accidents other than the types listed above that necessitated rescue by firefighting agencies.

Ordinance Establishing Standards for the Organization,
Outfitting, and Establishment of Rescue Crews (Ministerial
Ordinance No. 22 of the Ministry of Home Affairs from
1986; hereafter referred to as the “Rescue Ordinance”).
They consist of members who have received specialized
education related to lifesaving (140 hours’ worth), as
well as rescue and relief supplies and the rescue vehicles
equipped with these needed for rescue activities. They
are categorized into four classifications: rescue crews,
special rescue crews, advanced rescue crews, and special
advanced rescue crews.*1
As of April 2019, 1,432 crews had been establishedat 709 fire departments, and the number of rescue crew
members came to 24,684 people. This means that on
average, roughly 2.0 rescue crews have been establishedat each fire departments, with an average of 17.2 rescue
crew members stationed on each crew. The number offire departments have been dropping as they spread out tocover broader areas, but the number of rescue crews havebeen trending upward.

caused by buildings became the type with the most people
rescued since 2013.
The number of rescue workers dispatched (which refers
to the total number of people dispatched in order to carryout rescue activities) came to 1,491,067 in total. Of these,
the number of firefighters dispatched came to 1,411,308 in
total, of which 30.3% were dispatched for “Accidents due
to buildings”, while 23.6% were dispatched due to “Traffic
accidents”. At the same time, the number of volunteer
fire corps members dispatched came to 79,759 in total, of
which 62.4% were dispatched on account of fires.
Next, the number of people who engaged in rescue
activities (this refers to the number of people who actuallyengaged in rescue activities out of the number dispatched)came to 598,677 in total. This means that 9.7 people
on average took part in each individual rescue activity.
What is more, in terms of the number of people engaged
in each individual rescue activity by type of incident
except storms, floods and other natural incidents which
will increase or decrease year by year depending on the
dispatch of National Fire-Service Team, fires had thegreatest number at 15.9 people on average, followed bywater-related accidents at 15.8 people. (Fig. 2-6-1, Fig.
2-6-2, Table 2-6-2)(2) Ownership Status of Rescue Equipment for
Rescue Activities
Rescue equipment for rescue activities includes
equipment for removing heavy objects such as
hydraulic spreaders, cutting equipment like hydrauliccutters, detection and measurement equipment suchas inflammable gas measuring instruments, and more.
Advanced, specialized equipment has been deemednecessary for them to guard against the large-scale
earthquake disasters and terrorist disasters that could
potentially occur. As such, the FDMA makes efforts to

2. Implementation Structure for Rescue
Activities(1) Number of Rescue Crews and Number ofRescue Crew Members
Rescue crews are established in municipalities that havefire departments and fire stations pursuant to the Ministerial*1

The Rescue Ordinance stipulates that municipalities with a population of 100,000 people or more and a standing fire defense structure must establish
a special rescue crew. Core cities and the like must have one or more special rescue crews that serve as advanced rescue crews, and the Tokyo Fire
Department and ordinance-designated cities must have one or more advanced fire crews that serve as special advanced rescue crews.

53

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-6-3 Ownership status of rescue equipment for rescue activities and board vehicles for carrying
rescue crews(As of April 1, 2019)

Major rescue equipment

Ministerial
ordinanceannex 1

Ministerial
ordinanceannex 2
Ministerial
ordinanceannex 3

Boarding vehicles

Three Part
ladders
7,801
Mat air jacks
2,736
Image searchequipment

Lifeline throwing
guns
1,816

Hydraulicspreader2,117

Large hydraulic Large hydraulicspreaderscutters
2,247

Hydraulic cutters Portable winches Engine cutters
2,023
Rock drills

4,397

1,727

1,908

Underground Thermal imaging
noise detectors
devices

Night visionequipment

Earthquake
alarms

361

223

329

1,558

Rescue work
vehiclesLadder-equipped
vehiclesFolding ladderequipped
vehicles

1,243

397

111

Fire pumpvehicles
237

6,510

7,078

Rope climbing
Hammers/ drills
machines

Air saws

2,258

626

Chainsaws

3,173

Gas cutters

Inflammablegas measuring
instruments

1,296

5,730

Ventilators

1,684

2,288

Electromagnetic Carbon dioxidewave detectors
detectors

UnderwaterprobesFire cisternequipped
vehicles122
Chemicalvehicles390

64Special disastervehicles120

28

Breathingapparatus
50,430

Simple image
search machines
926

Oxygen masks
3,354

86
Other

Total
481

3,007

(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey on the Implementation Status of Rescue Activities”.

promote the establishment and maintenance of rescue
work vehicles and rescue equipment by taking advantage
of grants for equipping National Fire-Service Teams, aswell as tax measures allocated to local governments andmore. (Table 2-6-3)

and learning.
The National Firefighting and Rescue Skills Meet are
divided up into a land division and a water division. For
each division, there are “Basic training” where individualcrew members practice basic skills, “Coordinated training”
where crew members practice their individual skills
together with cooperation with other crew members,
and “Skills training” where participating crew members
demonstrate everything from training assumptions to
rescue methods using creativity and ingenuity without
stipulations as to the equipment or training skills that will
be used.
The 48th meet was held on August 25,2019 in Okayama
City, Okayama Prefecture. Here, 700 crew members took
part in the land division and 228 took part in the water
division. The 49th meet will be held in Kitakyushu City
Fukuoka Prefecture.

3. Holding National Firefighting and
Rescue Skills Meets
The National Firefighting and Rescue Skills Meet has
been held every year since 1972 (sponsored by the Japan
Firefighters Association, with the backing of the FDMA
and others). Its goal is to foster the physical strength,
mental toughness, and technical capabilities needed for
rescue activities, as well as to gather rescue crew members
from throughout Japan together to cultivate crew members
who can serve as examples to others through competition-omitted-

54

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

8

Integrated Fire Service Support and National
Fire-Service Team for Disaster Response

Section☞ Japanese Original P.241

strengthen the National Fire-Service Teams described in
2, and because in large-scale and special disasters andforest fires, helicopters are extremely effective in all
firefighting and disaster prevention activities such as aerial
fire extinguishing, rescue activities, emergency activities,
information gathering, and emergency transportation,
the FDMA promotes the active use of integrated support
by firefighting organizations and prefectural firefighting
and disaster helicopters by clarifying the procedure forrequesting support based on the provisions of Article 44of the Fire Organization Act) by formulating “Guidelines
for Implementing Wide-area Aviation Firefighting
Support in the Event of a Large-Scale Unique Disaster” toimplement efficient operation (Table 2-8-1). In responseto the continuous occurrence of large-scale forest fires,“Strengthening Vigilance against Forest Fires andActively Utilizing Aerial Firefighting” (Notice 104 from
the Manager of the Special Disaster Management Officeat the FDMA and Notice No. 157 from the Manager of the
Mutual Aid Management Office at the FDMA, dated May
10, 2017) was notified to each firefighting department. It
clarified a request scheme to establish a system to preventthe spread of damage in the early stages of a forest firein the event the fire and disaster prevention helicopterswithin the jurisdiction of the prefecture are not sufficient.

1. Integrated Support System for Fire
Service(1) Mutual Support Agreement for Fire Services
As municipalities are obliged to make efforts to support
each other as and when necessary regarding firefighting
efforts (Article 39, Paragraph 1 of the Fire Organization
Act), by concluding agreements on mutual firefighting
support, it is now possible to respond appropriately tolarge-scale disasters and special disasters.
Currently, in all prefectures, there are firefighting
mutual support agreements (including agreements for
only municipalities where firefighting services are onhand) in which all municipalities under each prefectureand firefighting administrative associations and so on
participate.
(2) Establishment of Integrated Support System
for Fire Service
To respond to large-scale disasters and special disasters,
it is necessary for firefighting capabilities to operate
extensively beyond the districts of municipalities orprefectures. For this reason, the FDMA will enhance andTable 2-8-1 Actual track record regarding dispatches of wide-area aerial medical support teams basedon the Implementation Guidelines for Wide-area Aerial Firefighting Support Teams during Large-scale
and Special Disasters (past 20 years)(As of October 1, 2019; Unit: Case)By type of dispatch
Year

Dispatch trackrecord

2000

23

21

2001

32

31

2002

38

38

2003

24

18

2004

27

21

Fires in forestsand fields

2005

20

18

2006

8

6

2007

13

12

2008

10

10

Fires inlocations otherthan forests andfields

Storms andfloodsExplosion
disasterEarthquake
disaster

Volcano disaster1

Accidents
Other disasters
involving aircraft

1
1

2

1

2

5

1

1

1

1

2
1

2009

21

18

2

2010

16

12

2

2011

28

23

5

2012

7

5

2

2013

20

17

2

2014

36

19

2015

10

10

2016

5

3

1

2017

6

4

1

2018

13

12

2019

9

9

Total

366

307

1
1

1

1
17
1
1
1

4

22

0

55

7

1

4

21

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

This is done by launching a large number of helicoptersby promptly requesting the support of the fire and disasterprevention helicopters of other prefectures and making
requests for the dispatch of self-defense force helicoptersin a timely manner. In 2019, while there were nine forest
fires that led to requests for integrated aerial firefighting
support by the end of September, the spread of damage
was kept to a minimum by requesting support as soon
as possible and working together with self-defense force
helicopters.
To continue to utilize fire and disaster prevention
helicopters effectively across a wide area, it is necessary tofurther enhance and strengthen the nationwide Integrated
Support System for Fire Service in the event of a largescale disaster by setting up an aviation operation andcoordination team at each prefecture’s disaster response
headquarters, promoting the development of a helicopter
system and helicopter video transmission system forprompt information-gathering activities, and utilizing ahelicopter dynamic management system for ascertaining
the positional information of fire and disaster prevention
helicopters and performing efficient adjustments tooperations.

established in order to handle increasingly complicatedand diverse disasters. These included special disasterteams with the capacity to respond to special disasters suchas oil and chemical disasters, as well as those involving
toxic or hazardous substances, or radioactive materials,
as well as air teams that use fire and disaster prevention
helicopters and water teams that use firefighting boats.
This brought the types of teams to 8, and the number ofteams to 1,785.
B. Enshrinement in Law through the 2003
Revisions to the Fire Organization Act
It has been pointed out that potential earthquakes likea Tokai Earthquake, Tonankai/Nankai Earthquake, oran earthquake directly below the Tokyo Metropolitan
Region are imminent, and the dangers of NBC terrorism
disasters. As such, scenarios can be envisioned where it
would be difficult to respond to such disasters promptly
and precisely solely through the firefighting capabilities ofthe municipalities in the afflicted region or those found in
the afflicted prefecture. Therefore, the Commissioner of
the FDMA has been vested with the necessary authority
to work to enhance and strengthen emergency response
structures from a national perspective. In conjunction
with this, the Act for the Partial Revision of the Fire
Organization Act was drafted in 2003 and entered into
force in 2004. This act includes provisions for national
financial measures etc.

2. National Fire-Service Teams for
Disaster Response(1) Creation of National Fire-Service Teams for
Disaster Response and Their Enshrinement in
Law via Revisions to the Fire Organization Act(a) Main content of the revised law
The main content of the revised law consists of staking
out a clear legal position for National Fire-Service Teams,
establishing the authority of the Commissioner of the
FDMA to order dispatches, formulating basic plans
relating to National Fire-Service Teams, and the financial
measures of the national government.

A. Creation of National Fire-Service Teams
National Fire-Service Teams were created in June
1995 through the cooperation of fire departments fromthroughout Japan in order to create an assistance structure
through the mutual cooperation of firefighting agencies
from around the country. This was based on the lessons
from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on January
17, 1995, and designed to make it possible to carry out
lifesaving rescue activities when large-scale disasters
such as earthquakes occur within Japan in a faster, more
effective manner.
The system is structured so that during times ofnormalcy, National Fire-Service Teams focus all of
their energies on carrying out firefighting duties in theirrespective local regions. But once a large-scale disasteroccurs somewhere in Japan, firefighting teams dispatch
in a concentrated manner to the afflicted region fromthroughout the country to respond to said disaster at therequest or instructions of the Commissioner of the FDMA.
There they engage in firefighting activities, including
lifesaving and rescue activities.
When they were first launched, National Fire-Service
Teams consisted of 376 teams registered with the FDMA
to provide domestic assistance for firefighting. They werecomprised of rescue crews, ambulance crews, and more.
There were also 891 out-of-prefecture assistance teams
that engaged in activities between neighboring prefectures,
which consisted of firefighting teams and others. Thisbrought the total to 1,267 teams. In January 2011, a
registration system for fire teams was introduced in orderto enhance the dispatch structure for National Fire-Service
Teams and response capabilities for various disasters.
What is more, a number of new types of teams were(b) Legal position and dispatch orders by the Commissionerof the FDMA
National Fire-Service Teams, which have been put touse based on certain guiding principles since they were
established, were given a clear legal position within theFire Organization Act through the revisions to this law.
In addition, in the event that a Tokai Earthquake or otherlarge-scale disaster extends over two or more prefectures
or an NBC disaster were to occur, the Commissioner of
the FDMA shall be able to issue the orders to take thenecessary measures to dispatch National Fire-Service
Teams. This authority to order dispatches was establishedbased on the thinking that the national government bears
responsibility for deploying firefighting capabilities toafflicted regions in the form of ordering the dispatch of
National Fire-Service Teams for large-scale disasters thatshould be handled from a truly nationwide perspective.
The unprecedented, enormous disaster of the Great East
Japan Earthquake was the first time this authority was
exercised since it was established. Later, it was also
implemented in the July 2008 torrential rains. The Plan on
Basic Items concerning the Organization and Outfittingof Facilities for National Fire-Service Teams (see below,
hereafter referred to as the “Basic Plan”) revised in March
2019 stipulates the concept of dispatch orders for largescale disasters, and dispatch orders were given for thedisaster caused by Typhoon No. 19 in FY2019.

56

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-8-2 Enshrining National Fire-Service Teams into law through the 2003 revisions to the Fire
Organization Act
Prior to the revisions
Position of the National Fire-Service Teams

Guidelines for National Fire-Service Teams

After the revisions
Fire Organization Act

Standards for organization and equipment, basic dispatch
Guidelines for National Fire-Service Teams
plans

Basic Plan established by the Minister for Internal
Affairs and Communications

Involvement of the Commissioner of the FDMA

Requests for measures(1)Requests for measures(2)Orders(Tokai Earthquake and other large-scale earthquakes,
NBC disasters)

Special tax grants, etc.

Treasury expenses(The national government will bear any increased
expenses and new expenses as a result of activities
when said activities were ordered)Financialmeasures,etc.

Activity expenses
Facilities and equipment

Encouragement subsidies(general subsidy rate of 1/3) Mandatory subsidies (subsidy rate of 1/2)

Use of government-owned assets and goods

Paid loans, etc.

Permission to use free of charge

C. Enhancing mobility through the 2008 revisions
to the Fire Organization Act
In 2008 the Act for the Partial Revision of the Fire
Organization Act was drafted and entered into force.
This included content such as enhancing the mobilityof National Fire-Service Teams in an effort to further
strengthen fire and disaster defense structures for largescale earthquakes such as a Tokai Earthquake, Tonankai/
Nankai Earthquake, or an earthquake directly below theTokyo Metropolitan Region.

(c) Enactment of the Basic Plan pertaining to National
Fire-Service Teams
It has been legally mandated that the Minister forInternal Affairs and Communications is to enact the Basic
Plan.
This Basic Plan was enacted in February 2004, andestablished matters such as standards for equipping andorganizing the crews that comprise National Fire-Service
Teams, dispatch plans, and targets for setting in place
the necessary facilities. When it was initially enacted, it
set the target of registering 3,000 National Fire-Service
Teams by FY2008.

(a) Main content of the revised law
The main content of the revised law consists ofestablishing the authority for prefectural governors toorder the dispatch of National Fire-Service Teams thatare already active in municipalities where disasters haveoccurred, the establishment of coordination headquarters
for firefighting support activities, and revisions to therequirements for the orders to dispatch National FireService Teams by the Commissioner of the FDMA.

(d) Financial measures by the national government for
National Fire-Service Teams
The dispatch of National Fire-Service Teams has beenlegally mandated in cases where they have been ordered todispatch by the Commissioner of the FDMA. Therefore,
the expenses that are newly required as a result of said
dispatches are to be borne by the national government
as treasury expenses as per Article 10 of the Local
Government Finance Act.
What is more, the establishment of facilities pursuant
to the Basic Plan were clarified in a legal sense as
constituting “expenses to be subsidized by the national
government.” In addition, the eligible facilities and thesubsidy rate (one-half) have been established throughgovernment ordinance. (Table 2-8-2)(b) Establishment of the authority for prefectural
governors to order dispatches
This stipulated that prefectural governors can orderthe dispatch of National Fire-Service Teams active inmunicipalities where they normally operate. This can bedone in cases where a disaster has occurred in two or more
municipalities within a prefecture, and where it is deemednecessary for the sake of urgently providing firefighting
support for municipalities where a disaster has occurredthat lie outside of the municipalities in which said National
Fire-Service Teams normally operate. This structure
was set in place based on the fact that teams spanning
across municipal borders within the same prefecture were
mobilized for the 2004 heavy rainfall disasters in Niigata
and Fukushima, as well as the Mid Niigata Prefecture
Earthquake in 2004. In cases spanning across prefecturalborders, it has been stipulated that the Commissioner of
the FDMA shall coordinate this, since said coordination
will span across two or more prefectures.

(e) Use of equipment for National Fire-Service Teams freeof charge
With regard to those pieces of equipment from among
the equipment needed for the organization of National
Fire-Service Teams that it would be inefficient for local
public bodies to outfit and own from a cost-effectivenessperspective, it is hard to imagine that progress will bemade in outfitting this even if government subsidies
are provided for it. There is some equipment that needs
to be provided quickly in order to fulfill the national
government’s responsibilities when it comes to largescale and specialized disasters. As such, it was stipulated
that this equipment is to be set in place by the national
government, but provided for use free of charge to theprefectures or municipalities to which the personnel who
are active as National Fire-Service Team members belong.

(c) Establishment of coordination headquarters for
firefighting support activities
To ensure that the prefectural governor’s orders
from (b) are carried out smoothly, the prefectural
governors are to establish coordination headquarters

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Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Fig 2-8-1 Organization of coordination
headquarter for firefighting support activities

for firefighting support activities (hereafter referred toas “coordination headquarters”) in order to carry out thegeneral coordination for measures like lending support
for firefighting when National Fire-Service Teams aredispatched for this purpose. The coordination headquarters
are tasked with handling tasks related to coordinating with
the Japan Self-Defense Forces, police, and other relevantorganizations. This is done in an effort to ensure that tasks
related to general coordination over measures designed
to support the firefighting activities carried out by theprefecture and municipalities within the prefecture inquestion are carried out smoothly. (Fig. 2-8-1)

Coordination headquarters perform overall coordination
for the movement of teams within the prefecture.
They also gather information on the afflicted region,
liaise and coordinate over the activities of the relevantorganizations, and assist prefectural governors inreaching appropriate decisions.
Coordination headquarter for firefighting support activities
Headquarters director: Prefectural governor(d) Revisions to the requirements for the Commissioner of
the FDMA to order the dispatch of National Fire-Service
Teams
The dangers of earthquakes causing enormous damage
in a localized manner as a result of active faults have been
pointed out. It was stipulated that the Commissioner of the
FDMA can order the governors of prefectures aside fromthe prefecture where the municipality in which the disasteroccurred is located or the mayors of municipalities within
the prefecture in question to take the necessary measures
to dispatch their National Fire-Service Teams. Where
this was previously limited to cases where the disasterwas regarded as a large-scale disaster spanning two or
more prefectures, now it can be done when it has been
acknowledged that there is a special need to respond to thedisaster in question, even when it is a large-scale disasterthat has occurred solely within a single prefecture.

National Fire Service Teams
Personnel from the afflicted municipality
Prefectural staff, Fire department staff in
the prefecture

Fig 2-8-2 Organization of teams comprising National Fire-Service Teams

Prefectural battalion

Command support
battalion

Prefectural battalion chief
Commandsupport teamIntegrated
Commandsupport teamCommand support
battalion chief(Command activities at the scene of the disaster;
Representative personnel from firefighting

Oversees the prefectural squad and manages its activities.

Prefectural battalion command Unit

Command support
unit chief

Firefighting company

Firefighting unit

Firefighting unit

(Command support or
the fire departments inthe afflicted municipality)

Carries out firefighting activities like preventing fires fromspreading when large-scale fires break out.

Rescue company

Rescue unit

Rescue unit

Prepares advanced rescue equipment and supplies, searches forpeople who need rescuing, and carries out rescue activities.

First-aid company

First-aid unit

First-aid unit

Prepares advanced first-aid equipment and supplies andcarries out first-aid activities.

Logistical support company

Logistical support
unit

Logistical support
unit

Communications
support company

Communications
support unit

Communications
support unit

Water company

Water unit

Water unit

Special disaster company

Special disaster
unit

Special disaster
unit

Carries out firefighting activities to respond to special disasters,such as disasters involving toxins or large-scale disaster involving
hazardous substances.

Special equipment company

Specialequipment unit

Specialequipment unit

Carries out firefighting activities through the use of special
equipment via shipwreck rescue teams, long-distance watersupply teams, and more.

Command support battalion
Promptly heads to the scene in ahelicopter or the like to determine theextent of the damage, communicatesand coordinates with the FDMA, andprovides command support for local
firefighting agencies.

Commandsupport teamPrefectural battalion

Air Command
support teamAir battalion

Air Command
support team leader(Commands Air battalion
at helicopter base)Carries out the necessary transport and supply activities forvehicles outfitted with water supply equipment and so forth inorder to support the activities of each of the teams.
Carries out support activities related to ensuring communication
through vehicles equipped with equipment that makes thispossible.
Uses firefighting boats to carry out firefighting activities.

Air unit

Uses fire and disaster prevention helicopters
to carry out firefighting activities.

Air Logistical support unit

Carries out the necessary transport and supply
activities at helicopter base.

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Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-8-3 Tasks and organizations of special battalions
Name

Integrated Mobile Unit

MissionComprising unit

After a request or instruction by the Director-General to mobilize, toComprehensive Mobile Command Unit, some 3 Firefighting Units,mobilize promptly, to conduct firefighting activities urgently in thedisaster area, and to collect and provide information that contributes some 3 Rescue Units, some 3 First-aid Units, Logistical Support
to the smooth activities of the prefectural battalion in the case that Unit, and Communication Support Unit
the prefectural battalion follows.

To conduct advanced and specialized firefighting activities quickly
National Fire-Service Team for and accurately in response to special disasters in areas where
Energy/Industrial Disasterenergy and industrial infrastructure such as petroleum complexes
and chemical plants are located.

NBC Disaster Battalion

Mobile Support Battalion forLandslide, Storm and flood

Command Unit of National Fire-Service Team for Energy/Industrial
Disaster, Special Disaster Company（equipped with large elevatedwater truck, hose extension vehicle with a large water cannon、
chemical fire truck, large elevated water truck, and foam solution
transport vehicle), Firefighting Company (equipped with chemicalfire truck)
In addition to the above Special Equipment Unit, Logistical Support
Unit, Communications Support Unit, and Water Unit are added
depending on local conditions.

To conduct advanced and specialized firefighting activities against
NBC disasters in a prompt and accurate manner.

NBC Disaster Command Unit, Toxic and Hazardous Unit
In addition to the above, Logistical Support Units etc. are added
depending on local conditions.

In response to landslides or wind and flood disasters, conduct
firefighting activities using heavy equipment, etc., in cooperation
with other prefectural battalions, etc., in a prompt and accurate
manner.

Mobile Support Command Unit for Landslide, Storm and flood,
Rescue unit（equipped with response vehicle for handling tsunamis
and large-scale storm and flood damage and rescue work vehicle),
Special Equipment Unit (equipped with heavy machinery andheavy machinery transport vehicle, amphibian motor vehicle andamphibian motor vehicle transport vehicle), Logistical Support Unit
In addition to the above, necessary units are added depending on
local conditions.

(2) Organization of and Dispatch Plans for
National Fire-Service Teams
Issues like the organization of and dispatch plans for
National Fire-Service Teams are established within the
Basic Plan set by the Minister of Internal Affairs andCommunications. An overview of these issues is provided
below.

(D) Special Battalions
Besides the prefectural battalions, there are special task
forces: Integrated Mobile Unit, National Fire-Service
Team for Energy/Industrial Disaster, NBC Disaster
Battalion, Mobile Support Battalion for Landslide, Storm
and flood. (Table 2-8-3)
B. Dispatch Plans(A) Basic Dispatch Plans
When large-scale disasters occur, the Commissionerof the FDMA makes efforts to gather information andclosely coordinate with the prefectural governor of theafflicted prefecture and other officials. They also decideon whether or not it is necessary to dispatch National FireService Teams, and take the measures to request or ordertheir dispatch based on Article 44 of the Fire Organization
Act. Dispatch plans are to be established ahead of time toenable their prompt and precise dispatch in such cases.
Specifically, for each prefecture in which a disasteroccurs, they designate prefectural battalions that
dispatched to provide support with a primary focus onneighboring prefectures as “first response prefectural
battalions” and prefectural battalions that provide
additional support according to the scale of the disaster as“reserve response prefectural battalions.”

A. Organization of National Fire-Service Teams(A) Command Support Battalion
The Command Support Battalion is tasked with theduty of urgently heading to afflicted regions via helicopteror the like when large-scale disasters or special disasters
occur to gather information related to the disaster andconvey this to the Commissioner of the FDMA, thegovernors of the relevant prefectures, and others. In
addition, it has also been tasked with the duty of carryingout support activities to ensure that commands pertaining
to National Fire-Service Teams are carried out smoothly
within the afflicted region. The Command Support
Battalion is comprised of Integrated Command Support
team, Command Support team, and Air Command Support
team.
(B) Prefectural Battalions
The Prefectural Battalion is a group of basic companies
which are comprised of the teams required to aid with
firefighting undertaken in afflicted regions from among
a number of different companies. These include thePrefectural Battalion Command Unit, Firefighting
company, Rescue company, Ambulance company, Logisticcompany, Communication company, Air company,
Water company, Special Disaster company, and Special
Equipment company established within the prefecture inquestion or municipalities within said prefecture. (Fig.
2-8-2)(B) Rapid Dispatch Standards for when Large-scale
Earthquakes Occur
When large-scale earthquakes occur, communications
infrastructure is disrupted and a considerable length oftime is needed in order to determine the overall extent of
the damage, and it is possible that requests for dispatch
may not be implemented quickly.
For this reason, the Commissioner of the FDMA
has prefectural governors and municipal mayors fromaround the country prepare Requests for the Dispatch of
National Fire-Service Teams pursuant to Article 44 of theFire Organization Act in advance. The Implementation
Guidelines on Rapid Dispatch of National Fire-Service
Teams for Large-scale Earthquakes were enacted in July
2008, which contained content on matters like dispatching(C) Air Battalion
The Air battalion is tasked to conduct aviation-related
firefighting activities in the disaster area. It is composed of
air units and, if necessary, air logistics support units.

59

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Fig 2-8-3 Basic dispatch and action plans for National Fire-Service Teams
Application standards(1)Tokai Earthquake(2) Earthquake directly
under the Tokyo
Metropolitan Region(3) Nankai Megathrust
Earthquake(4)NBC disaster- Earthquakes
other than those in(1) through (4)- Other natural
disasters

Responses based on the respective action plans

Disaster Strikes[(1)Tokai Earthquake]
1. When an earthquake that meets both of the requirements (1) and (2) below occurs. However, if the conditions for applicationof the Action Plan for Nankai Megathrust Earthquake are met, it will be given priority.
(1)When the name of the epicenter of the earthquake corresponds to one of the names of the epicenters of the Tokai
earthquake.
(2) When an earthquake with a seismic intensity of six-upper or greater (or six-lower for ordinance-designated cities) isobserved in two or more of the eight prefectures in the reinforcement area, or when a major tsunami warning is issued
2. Aside from when an earthquake that fulfills the requirements in 1 above occurs, when damage to an equivalentdegree to that from Tokai Earthquake is expected, or when the Commissioner of the FDMA deems that it is possible to mount a
prompt and precise response by using the National Fire Service Teams based on the action plan3. When an earthquake with amagnitude of fi-lower (magnitude of 5-upper in special districts and ordinance-designated cities) or greater occurs in one of theeight prefectures where intensified measures are in effect in the case of 1 or 2[(2) Earthquake directly below the Tokyo Metropolitan] Region]
1. Cases where an earthquake with a seismic intensity of six-upper or greater is detected within the limits of the 23 wards ofTokyo
2. Aside from cases where an earthquake that fulfills the conditions for 1. above occurs, cases where the damage is expected tobe commensurate with that from an earthquake directly below the Tokyo Metropolitan Region or where the Commissioner of
the FDMA has determined that a prompt and appropriate response is possible by utilizing the National Fire Service Teams
based on the action plan[(3) Nankai Megathrust Earthquake]
1. When an earthquake that meets both of the requirements (1) and (2) below occurs(1) When the epicentral location where the earthquake occurs corresponds to dry of the locations within the hypothesizedearthquake source fault region(2) When an earthquake with a magnitude of fi-upper or greater is predicted or a major tsunami warning has been issued as aresult of the earthquake in any of the three regions of the Chubu Region, the Kinki Region, or the Shikoku/Kyushu Region
2. Aside from when an earthquake that fulfills the requirements in 1 above occurs, when damage to an equivalentdegree to that from Nankai Megathrust Earthquake is expected, or when the Commissioner of the FDMA deems that it ispossible to mount a prompt and precise response by using the National Fire Service Teams based on the action plan[(4) NBC disaster]
When an NBC disaster or a disaster suspected to be an NBC disaster occurs, a large number of injured people are expected,
and the Commissioner of the Fire and Disaster Management Agency deems it necessary to mobilize an NBC disaster response
team from the viewpoint of NBC disaster response capability and speed.

Basic dispatch plan[Command support units]

1. Designate 1 Integrated Command Support Unit, 5 Command Support Units for each prefecture envisioned to suffer the damage.
2. Request the dispatch of the necessary command support units out of consideration for the region where the disaster occurred, the extent of the damage, etc.

[First response prefectural battalions][First response air units][Reserve response prefectural battalions][Reserve response air units]

1. Designate the four neighboring prefectures to send first response battalions to the
1. Designate the ten air units to send first response squads to the prefecture envisioned toprefecture envisioned to suffer the damage.
suffer the damage.
2. Request the dispatch of the necessary prefectural squads out of consideration for the region 2. Request the dispatch of the necessary air units out of consideration for the region
where the disaster occurred, the extent of the damage, etc.
where the disaster occurred, the operable aircraft, etc.

1. Designate 12 neighboring prefectures for the prefecture envisioned to suffer the damage.
2. Request the dispatch of the reserve squads as necessary when the first response prefectural
battalions are not enough.

them the instant a large-scale earthquake occurs.
Then, in March 2015, these implementation guidelines
were prescribed in the Guidelines on Requests for
Assistance from National Fire-Service Teams.

1. Designate 12 air units for the prefecture envisioned to suffer the damage.
2. Request the dispatch of the reserve units as necessary when the first response air units
are not enough.

assistance, to which every National Fire-Service Teamcapable of providing assistance would be simultaneously
and promptly deployed. What is more, the action plan
for an earthquake directly below the Tokyo Metropolitan
Region that was enacted in March 2017 decides on
assistance providers from the 43 prefectures (excluding
four prefectures designated as the prefectures receiving
support), and states that every National Fire-Service
Teams that can provide support is to promptly devote
personnel to this all at once.
For an earthquake along the Nankai Trough, the reportby the Working Group to Review Disaster Responses
based on Seismic Observations and Evaluations fora Nankai Trough Earthquake from September 2017indicated the course for a disaster response in the eventthat abnormal phenomena were observed along the
Nankai Trough. Therefore, the entire policy for deploying
National Fire-Service Teams for the Tokai Earthquake wasrevised and changed to the action plan until a new disaster
response for the Nankai Trough is determined.

(C) Dispatch Plans for a Tokai Earthquake and Other
Potential Earthquakes
It is envisioned that a Tokai Earthquake, Nankai
Megathrust Earthquake, or earthquake directly below theTokyo Metropolitan Region would produce considerable
damage that would extend over multiple prefectures. The
thinking is that the firefighting capabilities of just thefirst response prefectural battalions and reserve response
prefectural battalions alone would be insufficient for this.
Therefore, it has been decided that National Fire-Service
Teams would be dispatched at a national scale for these.
Therefore, the FDMA has formulated guidelines andaction plans for using National Fire-Service Teams foreach of these disasters should they occur. This was doneby envisioning a Tokai Earthquake, Nankai Megathrust
Earthquake, and earthquake directly below the Tokyo
Metropolitan Region, and is based on the response
guidelines, estimates of the damage from such disasters,
and other data from the Central Disaster Prevention
Council. (Fig. 2-8-3)
For example, there is a National Fire-Service Teamaction plan for a Nankai Megathrust Earthquake thatwas formulated in March 2016. This plan determinessites to receive assistance in 37 other prefectures aside
from the ten prefectures designated to receive priority(D) Operational plan for NBC disaster
When a large number of people are injured due to an
NBC disaster, the firefighting capability of the firefightingorganization with jurisdiction over the disaster area andthe firefighting organization in the prefecture to which thedisaster area belongs alone is considered to be insufficient,and it is necessary to implement advanced and specialized
firefighting activities quickly and accurately. For thisreason, a special operation plan has been established and60

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities(3) Number of National Fire-Service Teams
Registered and Their Equipment

NBC disaster response units will be dispatched promptly.
(E) Assistance Plans by the Prefectures
Each prefecture formulates its own Implementation
Plans for Assistance from National Fire-Service Teams
based on the registration status of National Fire-Service
Teams within the prefecture in question. These plans are
based on consultations with the firefighting agencies ofeach prefecture in question with regard to the organizationof prefectural battalions and other teams, meeting
locations, information communication structures, andother necessary items concerning the prompt dispatch of
National Fire-Service Teams to afflicted regions.

A. Number of teams registered
The stipulations of Paragraph 4, Article 45 of the Fire
Organization Act states that the Commissioner of the
FDMA must register National Fire-Service Teams basedon applications to do so from the prefectural governors ormunicipal mayors.
Since the launch of the 1,267 National Fire-Service
Teams in September 1995, there has been a growing
recognition of the importance of their activities during
disasters. As a result, the number of teams registered has
been on the rise, and as of April 1, 2019, 6,258 teams havebeen registered from 723 fire departments nationwide(roughly 99% of the fire departments nationwide). This isalmost fire times more than its launch. (Attachment 2-8-1
untranslated, Fig. 2-8-4)
In March 2019, the basic plan was revised and a target
for the number of teams registered was set for the endof FY2023 that would substantially increase the numberof teams from its current level of roughly about 6,000
to roughly 6,600 teams. This is to be done because it is
crucial to set in place a structure for deploying teams
quickly and at a large scale in preparation for largescale disasters such as a Nankai Trough Earthquake or anearthquake directly below the Tokyo Metropolitan Region,
for which damage that is worse than that from the Great
East Japan Earthquake is envisioned.

C. Plans for Receiving Assistance
Each prefecture formulates Plans for Receiving
Assistance from National Fire-Service Teams by
hypothesizing situations in which said prefecture
itself falls victim to a disaster. This is done throughconsultations with the firefighting agencies within
the prefecture over necessary matters regarding theacceptance of National Fire-Service Teams. And the fire
departments must likewise formulate plans for receiving
assistance while striving for consistency with the contentsof the plans for receiving assistance formulated by theprefectures and the prefecture’s regional firefighting plans
for the sake of receiving National Fire-Service Teams intheir region.

Fig 2-8-4 Trends in registration number of National Fire-Service Teams

61

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities
Table 2-8-4 Main allocation of vehicles and other equipment via the system for using equipment free ofcharge stipulated in Article 50 of the Fire Organization Act
FY of
allocation
2005
2006
2007
2008

2009

2010

2011

Allocated vehicle, etc.

2013

Operation Base Vehicle

4 vehicles

Tsunami/Large-Scale Water Disaster Countermeasure
Vehicle2 vehicles
2 systems

Helicopter

1 helicopter

Vehicle equipped with large blower

5 vehicles

Vehicle equipped with water cutter

5 vehicles

Water system for firefighting capable of handlingdisasters at energy and industrial infrastructure

Vehicle equipped with large decontamination system

5 vehicles

Helicopter movement management system

4 systems

Special elevated work vehicle

5 vehicles

Operation Base Vehicle

2 vehicles

Fuel supply vehicle

6 vehicles

Helicopter movement management system

8 systems

Tsunami/Large-Scale Water Disaster Countermeasure
Vehicle2 vehicles

Special disaster response vehicle

10 vehicles

System for firefighting capable of handling disasters atenergy and industrial infrastructure

2 systems

Special elevated work vehicle

9 vehicles

Drone for firefighting activities

2 systems

Vehicle equipped with large decontamination system

8 vehicles

Heavy machinery and heavy machinery transport vehicle

3 pairs

Fuel supply vehicle

2 vehicles

Vehicle equipped with large decontamination system

1 vehicle

Firefighting system that uses ocean water

2 systems

Helicopter movement management system

6 systems

Helicopter movement management system

2 systems

Operation Base Vehicle

2 vehicles

Infrared camera

1 system

Type 1 support vehicle

47 vehicles

Tsunami/Large-Scale Water Disaster Countermeasure
Vehicle3 vehicles

Water system for firefighting capable of handlingdisasters at energy and industrial infrastructure

2 systems

Firefighting system that uses ocean water

3 systems

Helicopter

2 helicopters

Personnel transport vehicle

47 vehicles

Equipment transport vehicle

46 vehicles

All-terrain response vehicle

1 pairRadio relay vehicle

2012

No. allocated
2014

2015

2016

21 vehicles

Elevated rescue vehicle for large-scale earthquake
disasters

3 pairs

Heavy machinery and heavy machinery transport vehicle

19 pairs

Prefectural command team vehicle

45 vehicles

Fuel supply vehicle

30 vehicles

Type 1 support vehicle

17 vehicles

Firefighting system that uses ocean water

1 systemSpecial disaster response vehicle

1 vehicle

Special disaster work vehicle

2 vehicles

Vehicle equipped with large decontamination system

4 vehicles

Helicopter movement management system

11 systems

2017

2018

Vehicle equipped with large decontamination systems

1 vehicle

Helicopter movement management system

5 systems

Operation Base Vehicle

2 vehicles

Water system for firefighting capable of handlingdisasters at energy and industrial infrastructure

2 systems

Radio relay vehicle

3 vehicles

Vehicle equipped with large decontamination systems

1 vehicle

Fuel supply vehicle

9 vehicles

Helicopter video transmission receiver

23 systems

Operation Base Vehicle

6 vehicles

Tsunami/Large-Scale Water Disaster Countermeasure
Vehicle6 vehicles

Water system for firefighting capable of handlingdisasters at energy and industrial infrastructure

4 systems

All-terrain response vehicle type II and transport vehicle

2 pairs

Information gathering drone

18 sets

Heli-Sat system

1 system

Chemical agent remote sensing equipment

3 vehicles

Operation Base Vehicle

6 vehicles

14 vehicles

Tsunami/Large-Scale Water Disaster Countermeasure
VehicleTsunami/Large-Scale Water Disaster Counter measure
Vehicle15 vehicles
33 vehicles

Amphibian motor vehicle and amphibian motor vehicletransport vehicle

5 pairs

Mobile communication vehicle
Helicopter

2 helicopters

Operation Base Vehicle

1 vehicle

Helicopter movement management system

4 systems

Heavy machinery and heavy machinery transport
vehicles19 pairs

Heli-Sat system

4 systems

High-performance lifeboats

Heli-Sat camera

3 systems

2019*(Note)

B. Equipment
Since they were first launched, the FDMA has
formulated standards for the equipment for National
Fire-Service Teams. Moreover, since their enshrinement
into law in 2003, it has included provisions for this in
its basic plan as it has worked to round-out their line-upof equipment. Starting from 2006, government subsidy
measures have been taken through a subsidy for outfitting
National Fire-Service Teams with facilities and equipment.
Through this, progress has been made in equipping themwith special disaster-response fire pump vehicles, rescue
work vehicles, special disaster-response ambulances,
as well as the support vehicles active teams need to act
in a self-contained manner in afflicted regions, and also
fiberscopes and other sophisticated rescue equipment andsupplies.

36 vehicles* indicates equipment scheduled to be allocated in FY2018

What is more, the stipulations in Article 50 of theFire Organization Act provide for a system for using
equipment free of charge. Under this system, some of theequipment needed by National Fire-Service Teams fortheir team activities and logistical activities is allocatedto fire departments and other sites throughout Japan.
Such equipment includes systems for water sources for
firefighting capable of handling disasters at energy andindustrial infrastructure, response vehicles for handlingtsunamis and large-scale storm and flood damage, vehicles
that can function as mobile bases, and more. (Table 2-8-4)
Moreover, the emergency and disaster prevention andreduction business debentures (100% allocations, 70%
tax grant rate) that were established in FY2011 wereexpanded in FY2013 to newly encompass “Equipment forvehicles for the functional enhancement of National Fire-

62

Chapter 2 Fire and Disaster Prevention Organizations and Activities

Service Teams” and “Facilities to serve as bases for widearea activities for National Fire-Service Teams.”
In FY2014, base facilities for rescue activities and thelike were added to the list of facilities eligible for aid
via subsidies for the costs of outfitting fire and disasterprevention equipment. Such facilities consist of helicopter
landing pads, facilities for storing equipment and supplies,
and private refueling facilities. Through this, progress has

been made with setting in place base facilities that willallow National Fire-Service Teams to carry out rescue andother activities in a self-reliant manner.
The FDMA will continue working to round-out andenhance the equipment of National Fire-Service Teamsin a systematic manner to ensure that they can effectively
carry out their activities.

-omitted-

63

Attachment☞ Japanese Original P.324
Attachment 1-1-2 Extent of fire damage by prefecture
Classification
Prefecture
Hokkaido
Aomorilwate

Miyagi
Akita

Yamagata

Fukushima

Total

Forests

Vehicles

1,685

1,062

31

270

3

0

319

384

206

33

57

1

0

87

456

650

291

305

632

1,158

Gunma

717

636

285

369

166

154

374

4,025

2,725

571

377

ToyamaIshikawa
Fukui

Yamanashi
NaganoGifu

Shizuoka
Aichi
Mie

Shiga

Kyoto

1,886

170

243

199

349

941

725

1,045

960

33

334

2,030

1,440

Nara

454

210

Wakayama

1,762

336

751

369

Yamaguchi
Tokushima
Kagawa
Ehime
Kochi

881

518

275

338

411

308

Fukuoka

1,354

Nagasaki

537

Saga

Kumamoto
Oita

MiyazakiKagoshima
Okinawa

Prefectural total
Sapporo city
Sendai City

Saitama City
Chiba City

311

705

372

444

605

469

256

151

750

133

225

298

170

219

316

209

Kyoto City

319

261

175

137

702

142

124

421

86

94

177

111

569

367

206

230

112

21 city total

16

35

170

29

3

26

14

19

29

30

23

29

111

38

37

25

58

36

30

24

42

33

77

23

47

48

55

194

166

37

0

161

0

24

0

4

0

1

7

1

63

17

15

18

20

59

206

133

118

6,071

6

1

5

4

48

20

18

22

19

19

749

205

185

102

180

42

41

53

66

10

8

327

2,294

193

227

354

43

60

791

178

54

200

359

543

521

458

176

230

160

73

77

1,866

186

193

310

73

1,161

200

34

89

31

17

153

432

134

66

31

114

50

330

87

20

0

0

0

1

2

2

119

0

115

0

0

1

8

0

0

0

3

0

0

0

3

0

2

0

0

0

3

0

91

126

1

2

1

0

0

46

183

187

383

135

20

104

124

628

197

236

153

59

66

429

129

981

197

340

412

219

201

463

321

13

23

174

60

87

265

65

60

29

116

155

56

251

477

102

21

87

130

242

9

75

68

115

12

8

52

50

17

131

96

20

100

35

14

132

508

207

304

36

32

72

136

80

75

200

89

105

133

123

7

39

127

63

367

0

113

0

700

2,215

0

90

239

84

215

35

14

46

67

0

141

0

133

0

131

0

65

0

64

231

17

0

(Note) The “21 city total” is found within the prefectural total.

73

647

190

0

14

161

64

68

0

1

214

95

0

0

0

148

28

581

13,333

0

1

140

236

1,114

7,833

0

0

272

147

1,658

0

1

229

196

7,138

0

1

119

722

29,962

0

0

462

15

180

12,124

0

3

109

51

66

1

0

0

92

0

0

0

225

158

74

479

295

5

84

180

79

0

2

53

145

21

52

876

50

95

427

235

645

552

42

0

727

195

303

97

211

570

261

147

610

82

438

15

1,473

153

72

176

321

44

694

298

151

40

259

3

0

5

147

165

104

209

73

32

54

64

0

88

642

372

62

162

182

12

43

347

1,505

313

79

232

144

122

0

8

438

1,426

234

117

32

0

133

52

209

397

72

1

0

0

0

557

107

51

0

309

181

3

31

0

13

155

9,188

0

62

300

3

244

237

0

219

10

17

1

32

557

14

61

76

16

53

86

157

224

70

40

57

124

33

147

127

0

75

21

148

31

0

17

34

241

171

3

9

21

552

0

0

0

700

141

0

5

200

0

0

2

186

307

101

0

0

71

570

0

0

0

116

3,052

0

2

27

1,066

0

5

169

0

0

0

391

1,550

173

276

Kumamoto City

153

0

538

593

0

0

392

661

0

1

113

245

0

0

0

460

Fukuoka City

8

0

336

466

1,031

0

1

24

Kobe City

Kitakyushu City

53

3

1,379

440

0

3

98

0

0

3

Minor fire

118

0

0

Partially
destroyed

0

0

0

0

555

Hiroshima City

44

0

Half
destroyed

188

0

0

162

310

741

Okayama City

228

2

Totally
destroyed

Total

0

0

0

254

435

Osaka City
Sakai City

56

1

69

210

Nagoya City

85

Other
0

0

3,660

324

Hamamatsu City

44

1

1,363

Kawasaki City

Shizuoka City

33

Aircraft

20,764

2,049

Niigata City

38

Ships

37,981

2,913

Sagamihara City

11

83

Special wards

Yokohama City

10

426

163

29

81

47

135

70

31

37

118

214

173

113

15

Okayama

175

25

162

100

Hiroshima

36

76

223

309

4

901

Tottori

Shimane

22

336

Osaka

Hyogo

227

17

205

551

4

86

147

406

78

206

14

326

67

14

134

1,118

25

78

5

557

39

20

115

382

78

104

10

108

48

57

1,148

2,082

738

8

31

Tokyo

Niigata

14

327

557

1,006

Kanagawa

15

56

1,819

1,924

24

321

Saitama
Chiba

No. of buildings burned

Buildings

IbarakiTochigi(During 2018)

No. of fires

245

165

498

110

165

143

177

423

27

20

14

31

77

388

1,719

15

5

50

169

15

38

7

23

17

10

10

14

43

50

23

11

14

7

81

78

40

2,306

29

168

253

164

7,241

37

12

28

10

13

23

528

54

74

7

214

24

9

158

145

64

187

49

52

22

29

20

28

123

144

25

314

43

12

240

17

66

217

35

41

648

103

14

9

7

331

130

100

314

61

47

95

59

244

66

129

41

103

39

415

203

57

56

115

74

157

1,740

4,642

42

41

88

93

Attachment
Attachment 1-1-2 Extent of fire damage by prefecture (continued)
Classification
Prefecture
Hokkaido
Aomorilwate

Miyagi
Akita

Yamagata

Fukushima
IbarakiTochigi
Gunma

Saitama
Chiba

Tokyo

Kanagawa
NiigataToyamaIshikawa

Area burned
Building
Building
floor area (㎡) surface area(㎡)

Mie

Shiga

Kyoto

Osaka

Hyogo
Nara

Wakayama
Tottori

Shimane

601

1,638

27,446

4,268

5,897

28

53

169

65

14

90

418

22,486

17,087

11,49527,864

39,63927,24530,62051,802

38,710

1,325

1,532

345

1,712

1440

3,034

1,336

2,043

616

1,305

3,154

2,081

5,603

3,086

48

702

550

642

342

20,297

12,46031,303

2,552

351

793

119

10,560

1,301

1,723

21,3891,946

175

43,913

6,770

6,375

23,52652,12028,587

11,627

6,290

1095

564

1,672

5,742

7,454

2,041

1739

15,1271,550

31,505

4,493

40,366

17,21811,809

8,427

8,039

6,545

1,857

332

158

29

34

29

84

26

134

13

54

18

46

42

123

29

89

34

164

36

99

33

13

49

15

15

8

87

907

487

361

254

101

72

297

85

10

13

2416

35

1,170

88

118

304

263

422

79

168

27

57

Sapporo city
Sendai City

Saitama City

14,811

1,597

1,306

13

1,937

359

13

Osaka City
Sakai City
Kobe City

Okayama City

Hiroshima City

Kitakyushu City
Fukuoka City

Kumamoto City
21 city total

1,262

3,212

7

124

438

46

6

9

3

564

95

43

52

1,631

295

203

200

39

17

83

9

34

46

23

68

32

115

81

31

69

30
7

307
76

11

150

75

735

886

243

519

254

607

124

36

447

1,343

215

60

15

140

537

37

5

68

101

253

110

167

34

59

54

254

108

108

20

8

9

59

185

8

105

13

75

5

141

261

600

214

403

487

258

6,114

18,180

3,978

1,233

12,96939,758

2,982

68

0

11

64

125

18

3

104

252

6,947

1,455

654

Kyoto City

611

92

1,427

2,582

Nagoya City

24

392

60,624

Kawasaki City

Hamamatsu City

22

231

117,981

4,734

Shizuoka City

36

30

121

2,203

1,063,583

11,024

Niigata City

33

10

21056

Special wards

Sagamihara City

34

4

2,337

1090

Yokohama City

13

15,704

5,406

Chiba City

175

12

721

5

606

Prefectural total

42

24

35

13,742

5,831

576

76

318

NagasakiOkinawa

153

71

619

92

195

503

1,007

12

36

2,221

292

722

42

1,933

28,172

34

162

146

3,199

Kagoshima

96

21

305

439

33,861

Miyazaki

186

80

305

112

Fukuoka

219

23

86

9

230

1,079

95

6

67

56

10,754

10

188

18

Oita

220

32

51

76

232

71

418

175

Kumamoto

70

933

23

116

1,361

103

56

2,528

190

18,652

469

7

915

1,774

22

Ehime

10,047

28

661

119

114

326

252

10

679

4,282

562

31

22

631

1,168

2,288

94

74

317

745

1,875

181

320

331

32

436

58

814

143

10

8,157

52

180

639

28

580

203

21

313

170

45

38

34

180

176

952

737

184

71

9,701

7,860

182

232

74

79

85

193

1,586

36

4

4

18

33

137

237

104

166

785

21

174

183

303

152

17

980

248

23

84

501

46

6

1,934

404

60

22

12

1582

287

17

804

143

22

70

979

38

96

38

101

105

143

24

51

302

315

31

26

82

188

377

352

92

535

133

73

40

112

275

2,225

380

129

121

808

298

151

252

140

88

75

47

290

340

281

2,467

278

267

65

1187

670

22,429

442

29

403

18,284Saga

No. of people
affected81

Yamaguchi

Kochi

Minor
destruction

145

1,815

KagawaHalf
destroyed

827

27,957Tokushima

Totally
destroyed

299

2,642

Okayama

Hiroshima

Total

68

25,907

Aichi

Injured

5,835

NaganoShizuoka

Fatalities

5,391

22,873

26,527

Gifu

Forests (a)(During 2018)
No. of households affected

58,962

Fukui

Yamanashi

No. of casualties

2,237

6,478

2,661

6,918

2,336

5,939

0

0

624

15

2,055

0

208

692

134

30

9

198

3,002

0

13

71

246

27

13

206

500

2

0

23

118

9

37

6

409

99

40

136

30

86

0

11

2

21

115

362

0

31

189

604

68

523

16

18

3,699

1232

399

8

2,213

711

0

50

406

1,700

1032

11

20

6

126

25,868

364

1,360

868

96,022

70

131

3,854

3,302

2

109

569

120

2,852

4,733

22

7

259

1,611

52

270

94

38

21

515

5,042

4,569

154

33

63

4558

596

48

313

0

1,106

1,985

46

2

5,265

5,850

120

12

60

4

36

5

24

5

10

10

2,383

301

65

136

237

89

209

66

177

1,772

5,605

27

(Note) The “21 city total” is found within the prefectural total.

190

48

30

4

113

96

119

48

14

31

26

7

335

78

5

100

7

57

204

283

19

16

39

20

303

43

45

516

1,094

177

457

22

22

29

26

5

78

882

142

102

48

12

29

13

167

9

146

389

4,538

20

20

22

14

678

10

5

6

59

71

99

233

211

726

358

257

185

416

215

324

263

10,993

Attachment
Attachment 1-1-2 Extent of fire damage by prefecture (continued)
Classification
Prefecture
Hokkaido
Aomorilwate
Miyagi
Akita
Yamagata
Fukushima
IbarakiTochigi
Gunma
Saitama
Chiba
Tokyo
Kanagawa
NiigataToyamaIshikawa
Fukui
Yamanashi
NaganoGifu
Shizuoka
Aichi
Mie
Shiga
Kyoto
Osaka
Hyogo
Nara
Wakayama
Tottori
Shimane
Okayama
Hiroshima
Yamaguchi
Tokushima
KagawaEhime
Kochi
Fukuoka
Saga
Nagasaki
Kumamoto
Oita
MiyazakiKagoshima
Okinawa
Prefectural total
Sapporo city
Sendai City
Saitama City
Chiba City
Special wards
Yokohama City
Kawasaki City
Sagamihara City
Niigata City
Shizuoka City
Hamamatsu City
Nagoya City
Kyoto City
Osaka City
Sakai City
Kobe City
Okayama City
Hiroshima City
Kitakyushu City
Fukuoka City
Kumamoto City
21 city total

Total
2,934,379
2,257,161
1,318,464
1,545,862
611,156
652,5211,331,728
3,740,465
1,683,332
1,760,373
5,163,161
3,266,907
6,116,531
4,873,484
1,383,082
717,373
410,339
2,635,130
787,216
1,265,815
1,659,085
2,876,733
4,978,328
1,442,387
791,7311,099,774
6,061,516
2,785,734
1,481,635
658,658
282,086
374,963
1,445,201
1,846,105
868,156
841,959
562,573
877,452
327,017
2,681,586
1,210,260
1,318,206
795,112344,800
714,568
1,239,885
607,252
84,627,241
483,322
297,459
526,722363,240
2,344,853
605,195
263,427
262,991
414,699
230,428
588,441
619,529
479,618
511,3111,017,119424,519
303,345
512,295
176,499
126,658
211,894
10,763,564

Subtotal
2,427,939
2,023,420
1,106,907
1,375,690
573,819
621,736
1,161,892
3,436,830
1,606,887
1,681,756
5,004,094
2,795,972
5,870,756
4,653,750
1,289,083
706,259364,271
2,341,471
696,490
1,178,312
1,606,056
2,625,006
4,727,648
1,389,285
715,370
1,076,014
5,191,358
2,568,860
1,465,985
627,899
274,802345,147
1,336,085
1,632,655
832,255
801,947
540,817801,699
312,480
1,919,339
459,280
718,534
731,054
329,667
646,852
1,199,786
559,325
76,352,539
460,273273,681507,249
242,975
2,238,979
564,390
241,373
209,894
373,479
210,763542,171596,487
472,959
485,4141,003,401
374,094
296,746
389,000
164,613
120,497
198,873
9,967,311

Building

Buildings
1,749,400
757,685
932,616
993,553
421,567
498,253
687,8782,487,199
947,439
1,124,311
2,693,691
2,217,975
3,285,376
2,164,936
987,764
365,370
265,860
1,238,106
447,294
937,419
841,895
1,764,296
2,926,647
862,275
527,684
753,1123,025,809
1,934,921
786,193379,532
221,167
258,466
938,626
1,071,941
603,652
464,272
355,271544,453
229,029
1,436,356
374,357
565,682
474,177
262,417444,401
675,441
336,138
48,261,902
318,657
194,654409,039
218,036
1,583,150
465,370
189,512
157,202296,688
172,016
429,507428,303412,949
293,359
150,049
269,677
177,380
198,795
103,778
90,291
101,468
6,659,880(During 2018) (Unit: 1,000 yen)Amount of damages
Contents
678,539
1,265,735
174,291
382,137
152,252
123,483
474,014949,631659,448
557,445
2,310,403
577,997
2,585,380
2,488,814
301,319
340,889
98,411
1,103,365
249,196
240,893
764,161
860,7101,801,001
527,010
187,686
322,9022,165,549
633,939679,792
248,367
53,63586,681
397,459
560,714228,603337,675
185,546257,246
83,451
482,983
84,923
152,852
256,877
67,250202,451524,345
223,187
28,090,637
141,616
79,027
98,21024,939655,829
99,02051,861
52,692
76,791
38,747
112,664
168,184
60,010
192,055
853,352
104,417
119,366
190,205
60,83530,206
97,405
3,307,431

Forests
8127
3,176
47,8291,619
11,673
6,973
1,491
552
5006
1828
13,096
760
9150
0
50
0
5310
578
2,448
24,334
394
1,059
359
909
1271
258
160
963
1,143
471
16
2689
2,441
1020
167
3474
0
263
224
76
236
57
11,122308
27,074
1,666
547
202,367
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
50
0
226
0
0
0
543
410
0
0
0
1,229

(Note) The “21 city total” is found within the prefectural total.

-omitted-

66

VehiclesShips

159,993
23,03445,092
78,13916,704
14,817
120,849
58,451
51,86448,095110,095
140,528
93,15588,90547,9848,165
8,366
32,05347,57039,861
33,772
79,820151,217
37,77961,094
12,40549,348
151,667
11,4386,659
4,950
13,227
42,831
63,324
22,627
19,497
5,259
14,016
10,34652,156
18,45916,95537,598
6,693
36,815
19,374
14,2192,227,265
9,199
23,216
13,69828,902
69,02922,411
4,477
2,034
7,184
14,18429,20921,347
2,948
17,893
5,133
14,388
3,661
16,648
8,317
1,500
8,636
324,014

11,094
1,276
28772
0
5400
0
5703
0
0
0
0
603
27515
4537
28968
0
0
116
0
0
0
131540
1548
1,327
0
0
102
9,131
0
8151
0
55
243
3592
964
0
3162
22
0
9,615
0
570,942
0
666
0
1,356
2500
858,900
0
0
0
0
27515
4507
0
0
28968
0
0
0
0
1
0
3534
243
0
0
1,615
0
66,383

Aircraft
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
730000000000730,000
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Other
313,091
15,56651,05489,391
3,556
8,995
41,793
240,362
19,07722,42330,560328,315
112,765
75,677
10,8672,949
32,392260,91240,70815,934
18,86338,686
82,63912,777
11,926
10,675
810,404
43,283
3,069
13,870771
5,900
63,481
145,514
12,112
17,041
13,33558,2183,967
16,2572,280
11,613
15,1296,543
3,812
14,673
18,6603,171,885
643
562
5,775
91,2797,648
13,832
17,577
1,138
5,068
5,309
17,011
1,695
3,063
6,351
8,344
32,5032,152
106,237
3405
2,816
4,235
336,643

Explosions
14135
190,689
38,810
1023
4
0
0
4270
498
6,271
5,316
729
3,190
50,615
6130
0
0
0
0
7,374
0
622
14,917
310
2,070
422
10,144
11,830
0
1608
1547
7945
120
0
31
0
0
3234
0
684143
5
105
209
923
15
3030
12001
1,084,285
13207
0
0
84
1,682
55
0
49925
0
172
0
0
422
1652
241
0
0
0
164
230
150
67,984

Attachment☞ Japanese Original P.360
Attachment 1-2-1 Trends in the number of facilities for hazardous material

Year

Types ofmanufacturing
facilities, Net total Manufacturing
facilities
Subtotaletc.

(As of March 31 of each year)

Storage facilities
Indoorstoragefacilities

Outdoortankstoragefacilities

Indoor tank Undergroundstoragestoragefacilities
facilities

Handling facilities
Simpletankstoragefacilities

Mobiletankstoragefacilities

Outdoorstoragefacilities

Subtotal

Fuel
supplydepotsClass 1sales
handling
facilities

Class 2sales
handling
facilities

Transfer
handling
facilities

Generaloutlets

1959

95,2072,523

63,30323,566

19,090

2,048

5,484

7,237

3,527

2,351

29,381

19,937

1,702

7,742

1967

213,526

3,008

140,842

34,163

48,975

8,863

23,891

4,648

15,1905,112

69,67642,347

2,059

25,2701968

246,767

3,164

157,456

36,52353,938

9,993

28,243

4,731

17,856

6,172

86,14749,041

2,478

34,628

1969

279,012

3,309

175,150

38,88059,504

11,17233,142

4,793

20,556

7,103

100,553

54,0602,907

43,586

1970

308,784

3,459

192,155

40,70964,693

12,33438,852

4,767

22,645

8,155

113,170

58,0963,274

51,8001971

346,1133,684

213,883

43,254

71,32013,61145,8804,849

25,396

9,573

128,546

62,749

3,553

1972

377,123

3,789

231,972

44,872

76,09014,66752,132

4,805

28,484

10,922

141,362

66,638

3,722

91

70,911

1973

410,158

3,929

251,372

46,76981,38815,57558,913

4,748

32,13911,840154,857

71,0493,697

163

79,948

1974

461,500

4,037

288,771

50,25391,596

16,84068,4234,774

36,04920,836

168,692

74,697

3,763

258

1975

495,161

3,961

312,00953,23997,846

17,53475,642

4,578

39,36423,806

179,191

76,879

3,727

319

1,148

97,118

1976

512,675

4,035

323,827

55,14099,401

17,93680,906

4,540

41,90923,995

184,81378,508

3,717

374

1,225

100,9891977

527,118

4,104

333,440

56,772

99,626

18,23685,874

4,496

44,26624,170189,574

79,998

3,675

464

1,229

104,208

1978

539,532

4,124

341,341

57,81999,456

18,632

90,734

4,286

46,33324,081

194,067

81,288

3,626

513

1,251

107,3891979

552,597

4,184

349,777

58,52898,98418,92995,823

4,194

49,42723,892

198,636

82,900

3,538

541

1,316

110,341

1980

575,376

4,272

366,356

60,165

100,373

19,451

104,193

4,187

52,35025,637204,748

84,588

3,462

604

1,357

114,737

1981

587,052

4,346

373,465

61,55497,50919,923

109,755

4,076

54,986

25,662

209,241

86,056

3,416

647

1,366

117,756

1982

596,575

4,393

379,752

62,78997,00720,013

113,398

3,953

57,12625,466

212,430

86,962

3,351

667

1,382

120,068

1983

601,905

4,435

382,91463,44096,341

19,955

115,724

3,871

58,662

24,921

214,556

87,678

3,284

705

1,380

121,5091984

607,040

4,477

386,406

63,59896,057

19,878

117,715

3,742

61,01924,397

216,157

88,143

3,221

729

1,391

122,6731985

613,364

4,560

390,825

63,87895,685

19,831

119,749

3,638

64,39323,651217,979

88,582

3,124

744

1,400

124,129

1986

617,540

4,598

393,41964,081

94,998

19,621

121,2543,531

66,99822,936

219,523

88,882

3,040

739

1,402

125,460

1987

620,783

4,657

395,877

63,98094,334

19,465

122,509

3,435

69,97622,178220,249

88,890

2,939

758

1,397

126,265

1988

574,720

4,677

397,687

63,69393,497

19,354

123,402

3,361

72,957

21,423

172,356

89,088

2,845

766

1,381

78,276

1989

578,881

4,722

400,597

63,562

93,105

19,150124,374

3,288

76,451

20,667

173,562

89,506

2,768

765

1,372

79,151

1990

582,911

4,775

403,577

63,426

92,77818,955

125,630

3,199

79,30820,281

174,559

89,814

2,696

776

1,360

79,913

1991

561,184

4,774

385,975

61,35087,95017,999125,874

2,354

71,596

18,852

170,435

89,388

2,630

657

1,373

76,387

1992

562,980

4,917

387,019

61,52287,55017,710126,599

2,266

73,111

18,261

171,044

89,616

2,554

640

1,369

76,865

1993

562,250

4,975

386,022

61,28587,03817,459126,706

2,212

73,69917,623

171,253

89,996

2,464

652

1,377

76,764

1994

560,790

5,013

383,979

60,862

86,272

17,168

126,543

2,169

73,704

17,261

171,798

90,647

2,395

647

1,380

76,7291995

561,295

5,046

383,683

60,30485,764

16,880126,533

2,089

75,307

16,806

172,566

91,418

2,321

647

1,382

76,798

1996

561,094

5,071

382,941

59,824

85,114

16,598

126,552

2,040

76,575

16,238173,082

92,037

2,256

660

1,378

76,751

1997

560,108

5,126

382,40959,221

84,553

16,315

126,617

1,965

77,881

15,857

172,573

91,583

2,196

652

1,365

76,777

1998

556,647

5,159

380,337

58,697

83,902

16,133

126,218

1,906

78,184

15,297

171,151

90,226

2,146

641

1,359

76,7791999

551,371

5,156

377,229

58,07382,877

15,848125,4811,828

78,404

14,718

168,986

88,382

2,075

645

1,350

76,534

2000

546,043

5,145

374,034

57,246

81,646

15,497

124,558

1,768

79,027

14,292

166,864

86,616

2,017

638

1,343

76,250

2001

542,068

5,160

371,351

56,72280,26015,311

123,964

1,703

79,802

13,589165,557

85,182

1,963

631

1,331

76,450

2002

537,8255,183

368,561

56,01079,26415,022

123,096

1,646

80,356

13,167

164,081

83,869

1,876

625

1,322

76,3892003

530,484

5,085

363,829

55,17877,631

14,709

121,795

1,586

80,194

12,736

161,570

82,371

1,807

618

1,288

75,486

2004

523,341

5,076

358,786

54,577

76,147

14,368

119,988

1,514

79,804

12,388

159,479

80,814

1,737

611

1,262

75,055

2005

514,990

5,050

352,872

54,33774,724

14,086

117,491

1,446

78,683

12,105

157,068

79,104

1,681

600

1,250

74,433

2006

506,245

5,058

346,532

53,77073,42813,803

114,564

1,384

77,63011,953

154,655

77,642

1,632

591

1,241

73,5492007

496,789

5,107

339,728

53,72072,213

13,363111,204

1,307

76,262

11,659151,954

76,310

1,584

583

1,226

72,251

2008

486,8125,121

332,859

53,47370,898

12,965108,292

1,247

74,513

11,471

148,832

74,388

1,523

567

1,215

71,1392009

475,989

5,154

325,590

53,18269,756

12,574105,206

1,204

72,387

11,281

145,245

72,121

1,480

554

1,208

69,882

2010

465,685

5,164

318,562

52,63768,606

12,287

102,417

1,170

70,232

11,213141,959

70,005

1,428

551

1,190

68,785

2011

455,8295,152

311,996

52,21967,47011,92399,383

1,141

68,746

11,114

138,681

67,990

1,381

542

1,179

67,5892012

447,277

5,150

305,975

51,516

66,294

11,67996,1201,114

68,29910,953

136,152

66,470

1,333

537

1,153

66,6592013

436,918

5,160

299,142

51,24565,33011,502

91,255

1,101

67,916

10,793

132,616

64,593

1,293

538

1,151

65,041

2014

428,541

5,154

293,544

50,88864,206

11,296

87,831

1,060

67,665

10,598129,843

63,222

1,245

529

1,142

63,705

2015

422,0295,106

289,034

50,55363,093

11,02185,4991,019

67,49810,351

127,889

62,269

1,209

518

1,127

62,766

2016

416,234

5,088

284,849

50,201

62,12010,802

83,341

1,002

67,17010,213

126,297

61,401

1,178

510

1,111

62,097

2017

410,651

5,096

280,863

50,023

61,124

10,586

81,417986

66,733

9,994

124,692

60,585

1,138

499

1,098

61,372

2018405,238

5,093

276,879

49,81160,36010,386

79,723961

65,806

9,832

123,266

59,715

1,107

493

1,084

60,867

2019

400,639

5,098

273,641

49,717

59,69910,17077,988940

65,425

9,702

121,900

58,865

1,078

482

1,077

60,39862,244

89,974(Notes) 1 Prepared based on “The Survey on Regulation Work of Hazardous Materials”.
2 1959 is as of September 30.
3 With regard to the numbers in 2011 and 2012, because of the influence of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the numbers for the
Rikuzentakata City Fire Department in Iwate Prefecture and the Futaba Fire Department in Fukushima Prefecture were calculated based on thenumbers at the time of last fiscal year’s survey (as of March 31, 2010).

-omitted-

67

Attachment☞ Japanese Original P.373
Attachment 2-1-2 Trends in the number of firefighting agencies and volunteer firefighter (As of April 1 of each year)
Category

Fire departments

Volunteer fire corps

Standing
volunteerfire corps

Fire
departments

Unions among
theseFire stations

Branch offices

1956

383

6

465

713

31,864

5,332

-

101

1,830,222

1957

406

6

488

735

32,745

4,484

-

107

1,737,319

1958

429

6

507

778

33,729

4,304

-

104

1,677,555

1959

438

6

533

831

35,168

4,153

-

93

1,633,792

1960

445

3

562

833

36,627

4,016

-

102

1,591,053

1961

461

3

578

889

38,4893,957

35,46396

1,542,406

1962

484

3

597

919

40,9483,909

35,377100

1,488,495

1963

511

3

617

961

43,1693,852

34,323116

1,445,508

1964

544

4

641

996

45,357

3,835

33,825

117

1,413,285

1965

620

4

735

1,024

48,075

3,826

31,653123

1,330,995

1966

640

4

755

1,072

50,806

3,818

30,940125

1,301,702

1967

671

5

817

1,110

53,957

3,764

29,926107

1,283,003

1968

700

9

851

1,155

56,681

3,748

29,45194

1,258,277

1969

734

26

892

1,242

60,486

3,743

28,99889

1,234,696

1970

756

58

937

1,308

64,2303,699

28,48271

1,210,839

1971

782

129

986

1,470

70,077

3,682

27,73261

1,189,675

1972

805

221

1,094

1,769

79,092

3,659

27,63823

1,166,625

1973

829

304

1,155

2,120

88,754

3,696

27,39225

1,148,567

1974

848

359

1,230

2,407

98,3293,682

27,08122

1,131,723

1975

859

378

1,258

2,590

105,005

3,668

26,80522

1,118,036

1976

869

387

1,286

2,665

107,632

3,673

26,65022

1,105,299

1977

878

398

1,321

2,742

110,618

3,669

26,46317

1,094,367

1978

887

408

1,336

2,771

114,249

3,669

26,32418

1,087,269

1979

895

419

1,366

2,840

117,657

3,666

26,28112

1,078,536

1980

906

427

1,425

2,883

120,460

3,641

26,08411

1,069,140

1981

914

435

1,462

2,930

123,204

3,645

25,99511

1,063,761

1982

923

441

1,470

3,001

125,335

3,656

26,1159

1,057,404

1983

927

445

1,476

3,063

126,959

3,653

26,0028

1,050,271

1984

932

451

1,483

3,111

128,087

3,658

25,8588

1,042,463

1985

933

454

1,496

3,132

128,914

3,641

25,7987

1,033,376

1986

933

454

1,501

3,151

129,6103,650

25,7017

1,026,224

1987

931

455

1,514

3,152

130,463

3,648

25,66771,017,807

1988

930

456

1,526

3,170

131,407

3,649

25,606

6

1,008,998

1989

931

458

1,535

3,160

132,437

3,649

25,6206

1,002,371

1990

933

464

1,554

3,166

133,610

3,654

25,6396

996,743

1991

935

468

1,589

3,175

135,157

3,648

25,5592

991,566

1992

935

467

1,602

3,181

137,388

3,642

25,574

1

986,996

1993

932

466

1,618

3,200

141,403

3,642

25,575

1

983,014

1994

931

465

1,615

3,207

144,885

3,641

25,561

1

979,737

1995

931

467

1,631

3,207

147,016

3,637

25,506-

975,512

1996

925

470

1,636

3,219

148,989

3,636

25,480-972,078

1997

923

471

1,654

3,224

150,626

3,641

25,455-

968,081

1998

920

473

1,662

3,232

151,703

3,643

25,393-

962,625

1999

911

473

1,670

3,239

152,4643,641

25,351-

957,047

2000

907

472

1,682

3,230

153,439

3,639

25,322-

951,069

2001

904

475

1,687

3,225

153,952

3,636

25,268-944,134

2002

900

475

1,690

3,226

154,487

3,627

25,238-937,169

2003

894

472

1,696

3,207

155,016

3,598

25,064-928,432

2004

886

459

1,699

3,207

155,5243,524

24,852-

919,105

2005

848

385

1,704

3,225

156,082

2,963

24,384-

908,043

2006

811

329

1,706

3,221

156,758

2,584

23,946-900,007

2007

807

320

1,705

3,230

157,396

2,474

23,605-892,893

2008

807

316

1,706

3,218

157,860

2,380

23,180-888,900

2009

803

312

1,710

3,197

158,327

2,336

22,997-885,394

2010

802

305

1,716

3,180

158,8092,275

22,926-883,698

2011

798

303

1,711

3,186

159,354

2,263

22,839-879,978

2012

791

305

1,706

3,184

159,730

2,234

22,753-874,193

2013

770

304

1,700

3,162

160,392

2,224

22,578-868,872

2014

752

296

1,703

3,153

161,244

2,221

22,560-864,347

2015

750

295

1,709

3,145

162,124

2,208

22,549-859,995

2016

733

291

1,714

3,130

163,043

2,211

22,484-856,278

2017

732

290

1,718

3,111

163,8142,209

22,458-850,331

2018

728

289

1,719

3,117

164,873

2,209

22,422-

843,667

2019

726

289

1,719

3,113

165,438

2,198

22,388-

831,982

FY

Firefighters

Volunteer fire
corps

Divisions

Volunteer
firefighters(Note) Prepared based on “The Survey of the Current Status of Fire Prevention and Earthquake Countermeasures” and “The Report on Personnel
Changes concerning Fire Defense Headquarters and Volunteer Fire Corps”.

-omitted-

68