area of densely built-up areas that are conspicuously dangerous when earthquakes occur" (approximately 6,000 ha).

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.

### e. Securing Open Space

To improve disaster prevention functions and strive for more 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 eight regions including Shinkawa Disaster Prevention Park (Mitaka City, Tokyo Metropolis).

### f. Promoting Construction and Improvement of Government Buildings as Disaster Prevention Centers

Government buildings need to secure comprehensive seismic performance to ensure the safety for visitors and to be able to function fully as centers for disaster emergency activities in the occurrence of large-scale earthquakes. Therefore, MLIT is setting a target to improve their seismic resistance and promoting construction and improvement of government buildings in a systematic and prioritized way, and in FY2014, Central Government Building No.4 (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) was renovated for earthquake resistance.

### g. Improving the Earthquake Resistance of Public Works facilities

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

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 taking into account facility functions, degrees of importance of areas behind levees and other factors to prevent large-scale submergence of zero-meter areas due to damages to levees caused by earthquakes and to prevent the functions of levees and other protective facilities from being impaired before arrival of tsunamis when earthquakes such as the earthquakes along Nankai Trough occurs.

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

For port works, for the Nankai Trough Mega Earthquake and Tokyo Inland Earthquake where extensive damages are expected, to secure an economic and social system that does not succumb to functional failure, increase Japan's competitiveness, and gain international trust, the earthquake resistance of port facilities, that serve as the base of wide area networks both domestically and internationally as well as port complexes are being strengthened.

For airport works, in addition to serving as the base of emergency transport when earthquakes and other disasters occur, seismic strengthening of government facilities to ensure necessary control functions and basic facilities that are absolutely essential is being implemented for airports considered important for maintaining air transport as well as the aviation