Disaster Management Agency established with new regulations and subsidy delegations

In the Official Gazette Extraordinary Special Issue No. 10 dated November 2, 2026, the Government promulgated Disaster Management Agency Order Nos. 1 through 5 and Disaster Management Agency Notification Nos. 1 through 7, which define the organization, procedures, and delegation of affairs for the Disaster Management Agency, coinciding with the enforcement of the Disaster Management Agency Establishment Act. On the same day, an order regarding the utilization of information and communication technology, issued jointly by relevant administrative agencies, was also promulgated, finalizing the authority of the new agency and the framework for the delegation of affairs to prefectures. All were signed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and shall come into effect from the date of promulgation.

The framework consists of the Cabinet Order (Cabinet Order No. 303 of September 30, 2026) specifying the enforcement date of the Disaster Management Agency Establishment Act (Act No. 61 of 2026) as November 2, 2026, and the Disaster Management Agency Organization Order (Cabinet Order No. 304 of 2026) defining the agency’s internal departments, with the current Extraordinary Special Issue No. 10 providing the detailed regulations based on the Organization Order. The utilization of information and communication technology regarding laws and regulations under its jurisdiction, as well as the handling of the Special Account for Earthquake Disaster Recovery, were simultaneously transferred to the new agency.

Eleven Coordinator Posts Newly Established via Organizational Regulations

The Disaster Management Agency Organizational Regulations (Disaster Management Agency Order No. 1) list the posts below the level of Planning Officer that assist the duties of the Counselor and define their respective responsibilities.

• The fixed number of Planning Officers is ten, excluding those holding concurrent posts; there shall be one each for: Personnel Planning Officer, Disaster Management Information and Communication Systems Officer, Policy Coordinator, Regional Disaster Management Coordinator, Disaster Management Digital Coordinator, Awareness and Disaster Education Coordinator, Disaster Emergency Response Coordinator, Evacuation Support Coordinator, Supplies Support and Transport Coordinator, and Recovery and Reconstruction Coordinator.
• The Policy Coordinator is responsible for comprehensive and basic policies, and the Regional Disaster Management Coordinator is responsible for the promotion of regional disaster management.
• The Supplies Support and Transport Coordinator is in charge of the stockpiling, procurement, and transport of disaster prevention supplies.
• Advisors and Counselors to the Disaster Management Agency shall be part-time and shall be responsible for participating in important measures and providing counsel on important matters.

Delegation of Subsidy Administration to Prefectural Governors

Under Disaster Management Agency Notification No. 6, based on Article 26, Paragraph 2 of the Act on the Optimization of Budget Execution Concerning Subsidies, etc. (Act No. 179 of 1955) and Article 17, Paragraph 1 of the corresponding Enforcement Order, it was determined that prefectural governors shall handle the administration in cases where the subsidy recipient of the Comprehensive Grant for Strengthening Disaster Management Capacity is a municipality (including special wards).

• Receipt of grant applications, review of application documents, determination of grants, and notification of grant determination.
• Receipt of reports on the implementation status of subsidy projects, issuance of implementation orders, and orders for temporary suspension of implementation.
• Receipt of performance reports, determination and notification of the amount of subsidies, etc.
• Corrective action orders, return orders, collection of reports, and on-site inspections.
• Administration regarding the filing of appeals.

As a result, the series of administrative procedures for disaster prevention capacity strengthening projects implemented by municipalities—from the decision to grant subsidies to the order for repayment—will be handled by the prefectural governors rather than the national government. Administrative tasks related to contributions to the National Public Service Personnel Mutual Aid Association have been delegated to the Counselor (General Oversight) attached to the Director-General (General Policy) by Disaster Management Agency Notification No. 5.

Establishment of Procedures for Hearings, Equipment Loans, and Registration Entrustment

The Disaster Management Agency Hearing Procedure Regulations (Disaster Management Agency Order No. 2) implement Chapter 3, Section 2 of the Administrative Procedure Act, stipulating the changing of hearing dates, applications for permission for related parties to participate (to be submitted at least 14 days prior to the date), items to be recorded in written statements, and items to be recorded in hearing records and reports. In cases where proceedings are made public, the date, location, and details of the case shall be officially announced.

The Disaster Management Agency Order Concerning the Gratuitous Loan and Transfer of Goods under the Jurisdiction of the Disaster Management Agency (Order No. 4) is based on Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Act on Gratuitous Loan and Transfer of Goods (Act No. 129 of 1947). It stipulates that the loan period shall not exceed one year unless the Minister or other authorized official deems it particularly necessary, and imposes conditions on the borrower, such as the burden of costs and the prohibition of use for purposes other than those intended. This also covers the loan of bedding and other daily necessities for disaster victims, as well as machinery and equipment for emergency restoration. Order No. 5 designates the Counselor (Accounting) attached to the Director-General (General Policy) as the official in charge of registration entrustment based on the Real Property Registration Order and the Ship Registration Order.

Joint-Ministry ICT Order and Transfer of the Special Account for Reconstruction

Extraordinary Issue No. 10 includes the Order to Partially Amend the Enforcement Regulations of the Act on the Promotion of Administration Utilizing Information and Communication Technology, which spans Cabinet Secretariat Orders, Cabinet Office Orders, Digital Agency Orders, Disaster Management Agency Orders, and various ministerial orders. This adds items pertaining to the Disaster Management Agency alone and those jointly managed with other ministries to the appended table, aligning technical standards for electronic applications and disposition notices with the Disaster Management Agency’s computer systems.

Signatories include the Prime Minister, as well as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Hiyayuki Fujii, Minister of Justice Takashi Yamashita, Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi, Minister of Finance Satsuki Katayama, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Yoshihiro Seki, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Kenichiro Ueno, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Arata Takebe, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tatsunori Ibayashi, Minister of the Environment Hiroyoshi Sasagawa, Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi, Chairperson of the Casino Management Commission Takafumi Sato, and Chairperson of the Nuclear Regulation Authority Shinsuke Yamanaka.

The order partially amending the Administrative Handling Rules for the Special Account for Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction, promulgated simultaneously, changed the credit item “Digital Agency” to “Disaster Management Agency.” Disaster Management Agency Notice No. 7 designates the office referred to in Article 7, Paragraph 2 of the Act on the Management of Public Records, etc., as the Disaster Management Agency Information Disclosure and Personal Information Protection Desk located at Central Government Building No. 8, 1-6-1 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Furthermore, Notices No. 1 and No. 2 delegated the authority regarding personal information protection and information disclosure to the Director-Generals.

Prefectures will now deal with new contact points for both the practical administration of subsidies, such as grant decisions and return orders, and electronic procedures based on laws and regulations under the jurisdiction of the Disaster Management Agency. For municipalities, the practical focus will be the change in the recipient of applications and performance reports for the Comprehensive Grant for Strengthening Disaster Management Capabilities from the national government to the prefectural governors.

Official Sources

• Act for the Establishment of the Disaster Management Agency (Act No. 61 of 2026), Cabinet Order Establishing the Enforcement Date of the Act for the Establishment of the Disaster Management Agency (Cabinet Order No. 303 of September 30, 2026), Disaster Management Agency Organization Order (Cabinet Order No. 304 of 2026)
• Disaster Management Agency Organization Rules (Disaster Management Agency Order No. 1), Disaster Management Agency Hearing Procedure Rules (Disaster Management Agency Order No. 2), Disaster Management Agency Order Concerning the Gratuitous Loan and Transfer of Goods under the Jurisdiction of the Disaster Management Agency (Disaster Management Agency Order No. 4), Disaster Management Agency Order Designating the Official in Charge of Requesting Registration of Rights Concerning Real Estate and Vessels under the Jurisdiction of the Disaster Management Agency (Disaster Management Agency Order No. 5)
• Disaster Management Agency Notices No. 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 (November 2, 2026, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi)
• Order partially amending the Enforcement Rules of the Act on the Promotion of Administration Utilizing Information and Communication Technology Concerning Laws and Regulations under the Jurisdiction of Relevant Administrative Organs, Order partially amending the Administrative Handling Rules for the Special Account for Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction (November 2, 2026)
• Official Gazette, November 2, 2026, Extra Edition Special No. 10