## Secure Transportation Systems Resistant to Disasters

## (1) Ensuring Redundancy and Substitutability

Rails, ports, airports, and other facilities are being made disaster resistant and an emergency transport framework for rescue, restoration activities, business continuity is being established to ensure redundancy and substitutability efforts are being made to secure the safety of users.

The road network functions as emergency transport during disasters to facilitate early relief, fulfilling its function as a “lifeline”.

## (2) Road Disaster Prevention Measures

To support the emergency lifesaving and restoration assistance activities in the event of large-scale disasters, development of missing links for securing substitutability, disaster measures (measures for slopes, embankments, etc.), earthquake disaster measures (seismic reinforcement, etc.), and snow/cold region measures (development of anti-snow facilities) are being promoted. Additionally, supplementing traffic facilities with disaster prevention functions (turning Michi-no-Eki, service and parking areas into disaster prevention bases, as well as developing emergency lines of communication and fire escapes) were promoted. Disaster alliances with private sector businesses to implement swift road openings are concluded, and a council for road administrators to create a framework that keeps roads open was established. In addition, based on the Disaster Countermeasure Basic Act amended in November 2014, development of the system and equipment that allow road administrators to smoothly move vehicles for swift removal of road obstacles is being promoted.

Also, big data such as ETC 2.0 probe information and private probe information are used effectively to grasp early damage situations, thus enhancing initial responses.

Meanwhile, for regions that sustained devastating damage from the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, road development is being carried out as part of urban area development prioritized in the recovery plan and the development of access roads to expressway interchanges is being promoted. Additionally, as one measure to reduce tsunami damage, sea level indicator sheets are being added to road signposts to promote the provision of sea level information to road users.

## (3) Accelerating removing of utility poles

We are committed to removing utility poles to prevent them from falling down and blocking the traffic of emergency vehicles in the event of earthquake. We started working on the procedures to prohibit from building new utility poles on emergency transport roads and special measures for the property tax.

## (4) Disaster Prevention Measures for Various Transportation Modes

For railways, subsidies are provided to partially cover the costs of improvement projects such as disaster prevention projects carried out by passenger rail companies including rockfall and avalanche measures as well as coastal protection and improvement projects carried out by Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (Incorporated Administrative Agency) to maintain the function of the Seikan Tunnel such as the improvement of substations and train control facilities.

For ports, in order to secure the port functions and maintain regional economic activities during disasters as well as achieve early restoration of facilities affected by disasters, a Port BCP has been created and the Wide Area Port Disaster Councils and others have been established for the national government, port authority, port users, and others to work together to promote the establishment of a cooperative framework.

For airports, disaster countermeasures that take into account disaster prevention-related plans for the area in which an airport is located and links to other airports have been studied. According to the results of these studies, templates for formulating evacuation and rapid recovery plans in the event of an earthquake or tsunami striking the given airport have been drafted.

## (5) Building a Logistics System Resistant to Disaster

The Great East Japan Earthquake highlighted the importance of utilizing the expertise and facilities of private sector