and for existing housing land, housing land earthquake resistance promotion projects are being used for surveys to designate developed housing land disaster prevention districts and carry out preventative construction. For liquefaction measures, technical evaluations are being conducted.

## ③ Implementing Danger Assessments for Housing Land in Disaster Stricken Areas

To prevent secondary disasters and ensure the safety of residents for housing land, an operation manual was created to evaluate the degree of danger swiftly and accurately after disaster strikes, in addition to frameworks being developed in cooperation with the Disaster Stricken Housing Land Danger Assessment Liaison Council consisting of prefectures and designated cities.

## ④ Urgent Development of Densely Built-Up Areas

Densely built-up areas with issues regarding disaster prevention and living environment are an urgent issue that requires immediate improvements. The Housing Basic Plan (National Plan) stipulates that the area of densely built-up areas that are conspicuously dangerous

Graphic II-7-2-9 Development Illustration of Densely Built-Up Areas

Source) MLIT

when earthquakes occur should be mostly eliminated by 2020.

To realize this, fireproofing architectural structures along trunk roads to cut off fire paths and serve as evacuation paths in combination to form a skeletal disaster prevention axis (disaster prevention axis) and the development of disaster prevention parks to serve as evacuation areas, disaster prevention block improvement projects, and integrated housing and urban development projects will be used to eliminate decrepit architecture and joint rebuilding of fireproof architecture, expansion of narrow roads to improve evacuation and firefighting efforts among other small measures to improve the disaster prevention qualities of densely built-up areas and promote the development of the housing environment.

## ⑤ Securing Open Space

To improve disaster prevention functions and achieve safer and comfortable town building, the development of disaster prevention parks is being promoted to serve as the center of restoration and reconstruction when earthquake disasters occur, center of disaster prevention as a relay hub for living supplies, and as an evacuation area to protect the lives of evacuees from urban fires. Also, a disaster prevention block improvement project that integrates the implementation of developing a disaster prevention park and the surrounding urban area is being implemented in nine regions including Shinkawa Disaster Prevention Park (Mitaka City, Tokyo Metropolis).

## ⑨ Promoting the Development of Government Facilities as Disaster Prevention Centers

Government facilities need to ensure comprehensive earthquake resistance safety, not only ensure the safety of visitors but also to fully function as the central facility for disaster emergency measure activities when large scale earthquakes occur. For this reason, goals for making government facilities earthquake resistant are set and their development is being promoted in a planned and focused manner and in FY 2012, the Kobe Regional Joint Government Building.

## ⑦ Improving the Earthquake Resistance of Public Works facilities

For river works, earthquake resistance inspections are carried out and necessary measures are promoted so that levees, floodgates, and other river structures remain functional even under what is referred to as level 2 seismic movement.

For coastal works, earthquake resistance measures are promoted in regions requiring large-scale earthquake measures so that their functions are not damaged before tsunamis arrive.

For road works, to ensure smooth emergency and rescue activities, transport emergency supplies, and emergency transport essential to recovery efforts when earthquake disasters occur, important roads such as emergency transport roads are subject to seismic strengthening of bridges and undergrounding of cables.