The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has announced plans to require owners and operators of hospitals, schools and other large buildings to carry out earthquake resistance checks. According to the ministry, the checks are to be introduced as the result of a series of collapses involving buildings that were rebuilt to outdated earthquake safety standards following the Kobe earthquake in 1995.
Reinforcing buildings to make them more quake-resistant is one of the pillars of the new Abe government's economic stimulus package announced last Friday.
The ministry says that modernization and structural improvements have been taking place since the earthquake, but that large numbers of insufficiently earthquake-proofed structures still remain.
NHK reported that the new policy will affect facilities catering for young children and the elderly, such as schools, hospitals and care centers, as well as buildings through which large numbers of people pass, such as shopping malls.
The announcement marks the first time the government has obligated operators to carry out earthquake resistance checks. It is thought the new regulations will affect around 5,000 structures when they come into force.
© Japan Today
16 Comments
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Maria
Wait- You mean this isn't already compulsory, as a matter of course? Seriously? Christ...
YongYang
Read THAT as MORE pork for the construction / Yakuza / industry. Oh, look ALL these buildings need 'upgrades'.
edojin
The Kobe earthquake hit in 1995. Who was in power at that time? Why the LDP of course. Why didn't they do something then?
John Matsushima
So the owners are required to do the checks themselves? Wouldn't it be better to have them required to be inspected by the the government? I'm curious what will happen if a multi-million dollar building isn't up to code.
Martine Müller
It is about buildings built before 1984 ....
Knox Harrington
So more of those beautiful steel beams smack in front of windows? A beautiful solution if I ever saw any.
edojin
Right on "zichi." But who was in power from Jan. '96 until Minshuto took over? I think it was the LDP ... who ... well ... didn't do what they now want to do.
As for your quake down there in Kobe ... I'd like to have a chat with you about that someday (not here, of course). Lots of weird stuff I heard about all of what occurred ...
Ash 'Vanguard' Baker
i've always wondered at what number richter earthquake would a typical apartment block collapse??
gogogo
Please name the 5000 structures that are currently not safe!!
BernieK
Abe is preparing for his commemoration speech this January 17th on the Kobe earthquake tragedy. He's also wiping his hands clean now and not be blamed with those building inspectors who were under pressure to certify buildings quickly to gain more business when Japan privitized the building inspection system.
globalwatcher
Martine MüllerJan. 14, 2013 - 04:53PM JST
There are SOOO many of them including so called "mansion". This is worthless.
Unless, the structural engineering modifications are implimented to the ground up or be demolished for the new, this is a worthless effort. .
AkariYoshida
This sounds like a good idea to me, though I wonder how many tax payers dollars will be spent to run this test and how much money will be spent to safe proof them