## (vi) Countermeasures against Sediment-related Disasters to promote Regional Disaster Prevention

In hilly and mountainous areas at high risk of sediment-related disasters which has a large impact on community people, construction of sediment-related disaster prevention facilities for protecting people’s lives, as well as maintaining the important facilities, such as evacuation shelters, evacuation routes, and town offices, that play an important role in regional disaster prevention is promoted for sustention and development of regional society.

(vii) Promoting the Countermeasures against Sediment-related Disasters Based on the Sediment Disaster Prevention Act

(A) Promoting the Sediment Disaster Prevention Measures through Designation of Sediment-related Disaster hazard Areas

In accordance with the Sediment Disasters Prevention Act, areas vulnerable to sediment-related disasters that cause harm to residents are designated as sediment-related disaster hazard areas, warning and evacuation systems will be developed. Also, areas vulnerable to sediment-related disasters that cause damage to architectural structures and serious harm to residents are designated as special sediment-related disaster hazard areas, and non-structure measures are taken to restrict certain development activities and restrict on building structures. Also, guidelines and case studies are released for the development of warning and evacuation systems as well as the creation of hazard maps, further the development of warning and evacuation systems as well as the creation of hazard maps against sediment-related disasters are being promoted in the municipalities.

The Sediment Disaster Prevention Act, which was amended in response to sediment-related disasters that occurred in the city of Hiroshima from torrential rains in August 2014, was enacted in January 2015 and mandated the public disclosure by prefectural governments of the results of basic surveys, imposed an obligation on prefectural governors to provide notifications of sediment-related disaster warning information to municipal mayors and disseminate such information to the general public, and called for matters stated in municipal local disaster prevention plans for areas designated as sediment disaster alert areas to be put into effect and for other such measures to be taken.

## (B) Prompting the Relocation of Housing at Risk

Houses near cliffs vulnerable to slope failures are prompted to relocate using the program for relocating at-risk housing located near cliffs. In FY 2015, this program decreased risky houses by 29 and 16 new houses were built to replace risky houses.

## (viii) Countermeasures for Large Scale Sediment-related Disasters

In order to reduce the damages caused by deep-seated catastrophic landslide, combination of structural and nonstructural measures are taken by, for example, development of sediment-related disaster prevention facilities as well as strengthening of the warning and evacuation system by use of deep-seated catastrophic landslide risk evaluation maps.

If there is a risk of a natural damming of a river (landslide dams) or debris flows following volcanic eruptions, urgent survey are conducted in accordance with the “Sediment Disaster Prevention Act” to provide municipalities with information on the land areas vulnerable to sediment-related disasters as well as the timing of occurrence. In recent years, sediment-related disasters have occurred frequently due to localized rainfalls more concentrated and intensified and volcano getting more active. So, training for enhancing the ability to respond for implementation of urgent survey and strengthening cooperation with relative organizations are promoted.