Specifically, if, when issuing its first tsunami warning, the Agency determines that there is a possibility of underestimating the magnitude of the earthquake that occurred, it would apply the largest magnitude expected in the waters where the earthquake occurred or issue a tsunami warning using qualitative expressions such as “huge” instead of numerical values indicating expected tsunami heights, thus informing residents that the event is an emergency different from ordinary earthquakes and prompting them to evacuate as soon as possible. The Agency has also decided to change the classification of expected tsunami heights from the current eight-grade system to a new five-grade one taking into consideration the relationships between the height of tsunami and the degree of damage, errors in tsunami forecasts, and the level of disaster-prevention measures that can be taken.

Furthermore, in order to issue more reliable tsunami warnings swiftly and without fail, the Agency has decided to install at 80 locations nationwide wide-band strong-motion seismographs capable of measuring even massive earthquakes. It has also decided to install and utilize undersea tsunami recorders at three locations off Tohoku's Pacific coast.

## (Creating disaster-resistant cities and transport centers)

The March 11 earthquake registered up to a weak 6 on the Japanese seismic scale even in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, the first such occurrence since the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, and strong vibrations were observed in almost all of the area. Due to the effects of the earthquake, a phenomenon known as liquefaction occurred in wide areas, particularly along Tokyo Bay, and many areas saw lifelines such as electricity, gas, water supply and sewerage, and communications disrupted and public and civil engineering facilities destroyed. In addition, on the day of the earthquake, major railways in greater Tokyo suspended operation, and as a result, according to estimates by the Cabinet Office, some 5.15 million people were stranded in the area, particularly in districts around hubs of transport in large cities where various facilities concentrated. Supply chains and distribution systems were also disrupted.

In October 2011, based on the lessons learned from the earthquake, the government revised its basic urban reconstruction policy based on the Act on Special Measures concerning Urban Reconstruction (cabinet decision) in order to promote creation of disaster-resistant cities in preparation for large-scale disasters such as Tokai earthquakes and those which are expected to occur directly below the capital area.

Chart. 59 Overview of the Revised Basic Urban Reconstruction Policy

Basic policy	Large and provincial cities	Large cities
Minimization of human loss: Multiple defenses for large-scale disasters by infrastructure development and other measures	- Development of coast preservation facilities, tsunami evacuation buildings, evacuations routes, etc., seismic retrofitting for houses and other structures, and improvement of measures to prevent liquefaction
- Improvement of hazard maps, creation of a keener awareness of disaster prevention through education in disaster prevention, and strengthening of local communities	- Development of disaster response plans for districts where high-rise and similar structures concentrate
- Improvement of measures taken for super high-rise and similar buildings to cope with long-period earthquake ground motions
Prevention of urban functions from stopping or declining: Promotion of city planning so that urban functions continue independently even at the time of disaster	- Securing distributed, independent energy sources, etc., at disaster-prevention centers, administrative agencies, and other locations
- Development of regional disaster response plans and business continuity plans
- Securing alternative and diverse lifelines	- Promotion of development of centers, etc., with disaster-resistant business and other functions, which have distributed, independent energy sources and stocks of supplies
- Improvement of measures to handle stranded people
Cooperation between cities: Establishment of stronger systems of cooperation between cities as they prepare for disasters	- Conclusion of disaster agreements
- Sharing of knowledge of disaster response
- Sharing of various urban functions among cities located in different areas	- Promotion of reasonable sharing of functions among large cities taking into consideration risks of large-scale disasters

Source: This table has been created using materials from the Cabinet Secretariat.

Later, in March 2012, the Act to Revise Part of the Act on Special Measures concerning Urban Reconstruction was established to ensure the safety of cities through public-private partnership by promoting infrastructure development and other measures. The Act allows a council consisting of members from the national and local governments, city developers, railway operators, owners of large buildings, and other stakeholders to develop urban reconstruction and safety plans for urban reconstruction emergency development areas and requires implementers of projects included in the plans to carry them out according to the plans with the budgetary support of the national government.

The Act stipulates that these plans shall promote infrastructure development and other measures (establishment and management of evacuation routes and facilities as well as urban reconstruction and safety facilities such as stock warehouses, guidance to evacuation facilities, provision of information on disasters and the operation of means of public transport, distribution of stock supplies, evacuation drills, and so forth). In order to ensure that urban reconstruction and safety facilities included in the plans are established and managed continuously, the Act also prescribes a new agreement system, which requires new owners of such facilities.