①Disaster prevention is to be performed in order to preemptively prevent the occurrence or spread of any disaster with respect to the following matters:

②The head of a designated administrative organ, the head of a designated local administrative organ, the head or any other executive agency of a local government, designated public corporations and local public corporations, and any other parties responsible pursuant to the provisions of laws and regulations for the implementation of disaster prevention must carry out disaster prevention, as provided for by laws and regulations or under a disaster management plan.

①The head of a designated administrative organ, the head of a designated local administrative organ, the head or any other executive agency of a local government, designated public corporation and designated local public corporation, any public organization, and administrators of facilities important for disaster management (hereinafter referred to as "persons responsible for disaster prevention" in this Chapter), as provided for by laws and regulations or under a disaster management plan, must each conduct maintenance of and endeavor to continually improve organizations necessary for anticipating and forecasting disasters or promptly transmitting information on disasters, with respect to the function or operations under their jurisdiction.

②Beyond what is provided for in the preceding paragraph, as provided for by laws and regulations or under a disaster management plan, in the interest of accurate and smooth implementation of a disaster management operation plan or area disaster management plan, persons responsible for disaster prevention, must conduct maintenance of organizations for disaster management and set standards for the assignment and service of officials engaged in affairs and operations concerning disaster management.

①Persons responsible for disaster prevention must endeavor to perform disaster management education with respect to the function or operations under their jurisdiction, severally or in concert with other persons responsible for disaster prevention, as provided for by laws and regulations or under a disaster management plan.

②When persons responsible for disaster prevention intend to carry out a disaster management education prescribed in the preceding paragraph, they may seek the cooperation of education organs and other private or public groups concerned.

①Persons responsible for disaster prevention must perform disaster reduction drills, severally or in concert with other persons responsible for disaster prevention, as provided for by laws and regulations or under a disaster management plan.

②When the prefectural public safety commission finds it particularly necessary for the effective implementation of the disaster reduction drills prescribed in the preceding paragraph, it can designate zones or sections of road for which pedestrian or vehicular passage is banned or restricted, as provided for by Cabinet Order, to the extent that is necessary for implementing the disaster reduction drill.

③The officials and other employees of organizations to which persons responsible for disaster prevention belong and employees and other workers of persons responsible for disaster prevention must participate in disaster reduction drills prescribed in paragraph (1) as provided for under a disaster management plan and as determined by persons responsible for disaster prevention.

④When persons responsible for disaster prevention intend to carry out disaster reduction drills as set forth in paragraph (1), they may seek the cooperation of the local residents and other private or public groups concerned.

①Persons responsible for disaster prevention, as provided for by laws and regulations or under a disaster management plan, must stockpile, prepare, or inspect goods and materials necessary for emergency disaster control measures or recovery and reconstruction concerning the function or operations under their jurisdiction, and conduct maintenance or inspection of facilities and equipment for disaster management under their control.

②The head of a local government must publicly announce, once every year, the state of the stockpiling of goods under the preceding paragraph.

①Persons responsible for disaster prevention, with respect to the function or operations under their jurisdiction, and in order to prepare for situations where they must receive support from others or support others in implementing emergency disaster control measures or recovery and reconstruction, must endeavor to take measures necessary to receive support from others or support others smoothly, such as concluding a mutual support agreement or implementing joint disaster reduction drills, as provided for by laws and regulations or under a disaster management plan.

②In addition to taking the measures under the preceding paragraph, the head of a designated administrative organ and the head of a designated local administrative organ must endeavor to provide prompt and appropriate support to other persons responsible for emergency disaster control measures (meaning the persons responsible for emergency disaster control measures prescribed in Article 51, paragraph (1)) by promoting securing and training of personnel with advanced and professional technology, knowledge, or experience, development of equipment and materials, development of a system to provide support flexibly according to the conditions of the disaster, strengthening of cooperation with diverse entities, and other efforts.

Persons responsible for disaster prevention, with respect to the function or operations under their jurisdiction, and in order to prepare for situations where it is necessary to obtain cooperation from goods suppliers, etc. (which means those who supply or provide goods or materials or services necessary for emergency disaster control measures or recovery and reconstruction, or private groups who conduct activities related to emergency disaster control measures or recovery and reconstruction; hereinafter the same applies in this Article) in implementing emergency disaster control measures or recovery and reconstruction, must endeavor to take necessary measures such as concluding an agreement or obtaining cooperation from goods suppliers, etc., as provided for by laws and regulations or under a disaster management plan.

①When the mayor of a municipality finds it necessary, considering comprehensively the situations such as the condition of disaster management facilities, topography, geology, and other factors, the mayor must designate facilities or sites meeting the standards provided for by Cabinet Order as designated emergency evacuation sites for each extraordinary phenomenon of flood, tsunami, etc. provided for by Cabinet Order in order to ensure evacuation for smooth and prompt emergency evacuation when a disaster occurs or is likely to occur.

②When the mayor of a municipality intends to designate a designated emergency evacuation site pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the mayor must obtain the approval of the administrators of the designated emergency evacuation site (excluding the municipality; the same applies to the following Article).

③When the mayor of a municipality has designated the site under paragraph (1), the mayor must notify the prefectural governor and make a public notice to that effect.

When the administrator of a designated emergency evacuation site intends to abolish the designated emergency evacuation site, or to make a major change provided for by Cabinet Order to its current state by rebuilding or any other reason, the administrator must notify the mayor of the municipality as provided for by Disaster Management Agency Order.

①When the mayor of a municipality finds that the relevant designated emergency evacuation site is abolished or does not meet the standards provided for by Cabinet Order prescribed in Article 49-4, paragraph (1), that mayor is to revoke the designation under the same paragraph.

②When the mayor of a municipality has revoked the designation under Article 49-4, paragraph (1), pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the mayor must notify the prefectural governor and make a public notice to that effect.

①Considering the condition of a presumed disaster, the condition of the population and any other conditions, the mayor of a municipality must designate public facilities and any other facilities meeting the standards provided for by Cabinet Order as designated shelters in order to secure proper shelter when a disaster occurs.

②The provisions of Article 49-4, paragraphs (2) and (3) and the preceding two Articles apply mutatis mutandis to designated shelter. In this case, the term "the preceding paragraph" in Article 49-4, paragraph (2), and the term "paragraph (1)" in the same Article, paragraph (3) are deemed to be replaced with "Article 49-7, paragraph (1)", and the term "Article 49-4, paragraph (1)" in the preceding Article with "the following Article, paragraph (1)".

③When the prefectural governor receives a notification under Article 49-4, paragraph (3) or the preceding Article, paragraph (2), as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the preceding paragraph, the governor must report to the Prime Minister to that effect.

Designated emergency evacuation sites may serve as designated shelter, and vice versa.

In order to contribute to the smooth evacuation of residents, etc. to take refuge, the mayor of a municipality must endeavor, as provided for by Disaster Management Agency Order, to take necessary measures, including distribution of printed materials stating these matters, in order to fully inform residents, etc. of how to transmit information on disasters, matters concerning designated emergency evacuation sites, evacuation roads and any other evacuation routes, and any other matters necessary to ensure smooth evacuation to take refuge.