The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has signed a landmark agreement with the Tokyo Religious Federation to strengthen disaster response measures by utilizing religious facilities as evacuation sites in times of emergency.
The agreement, signed on April 28, outlines a plan to use approximately 4,000 shrines, temples, and other religious facilities across the city as temporary shelters for people who are unable to return home during disasters.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike met with representatives of the Tokyo Religious Federation at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building to confirm their cooperation on disaster preparedness.
Among those present were Torunobu Sahara, chairman of the Tokyo Religious Federation and a representative of Rissho Kosei-kai; Yuzo Akai, a Catholic board member and disaster response coordinator of the Tokyo Archdiocese; and Fr. Yo Kawaguchi, acting board member and secretary of the Japan Religious Federation, also from the Tokyo Archdiocese.
“Religious facilities are located throughout Tokyo and span many regions, which makes this a reassuring initiative,” Governor Koike said, stressing the importance of the agreement.
The plan also includes opening wells within religious premises and providing parking space for disaster response vehicles in the event of an emergency.
Keishin Inaba, professor at Osaka University’s Graduate School of Human Sciences, who attended the signing ceremony, noted the significance of the agreement: “This is the first agreement of its kind between a prefectural government and religious organizations in Japan, and it is expected to serve as a model for similar initiatives in the future.”
