Less than stellar news for Japan's emergency evacuation centers

One thing I've learned during my years of living in Japan is that being prepared for disasters is part of everyday life. This week, however, I came across an article that said almost half of municipalities admit their evacuation shelters do not meet government standards for space or toilets. Not great news, to say the least.

The target is 3.5 square meters per person and one toilet for every 50 people, but many shelters can't keep up because of either budget limits or lack of space. Reading that made me realize how crowded and uncomfortable things could get for me and my family if we ever had to evacuate.

The study results made me glad we have a pretty stocked emergency kit, but it's still not great news. Image created via Canva.

It was a good reminder not to depend entirely on public shelters. We have a pretty comprehensive emergency kit at home, and I do know where the local emergency shelter is if we ended up having to use it. Even if those external conditions would be less than ideal, being a little prepared on my own makes me feel much safer.

Do the findings about so many evacuation shelters being ill-equipped for actual disasters worry you at all?

Info source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250818/p2g/00m/0na/013000c