TOKYO - The Japanese government plans to support the development of disaster prevention technology, such as the remote operation of heavy machinery, and push for its use both domestically and overseas, officials said Sunday.
Under Japan's growth strategy, to be compiled in the summer, the government hopes to set a target to double the country's overseas sales within the disaster prevention sector to about 2 trillion yen ($12 billion) by 2030 from 2024.
The move is part of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's drive to achieve strong economic growth through bold investments that can enhance resilience against potential crises, with the government having designated 17 strategic fields including disaster prevention.
A newly established disaster management agency will solicit technologies related to certain themes, while a third-party panel made up of members from the industry, government, academia and finance sectors will evaluate the cost and use of the technologies in normal situations.
Those that receive high evaluations will then be cataloged by the government and recommended for use by local governments to accelerate their adoption in the field.
Among the innovations envisioned are the remote operation of heavy machinery necessary during hazardous recovery work, as well as systems using satellite data to inspect aged roads and water and sewage systems.
Such remote operation has proved useful during past volcanic and earthquake disasters in Japan, including the Noto Peninsula quake in 2024, and demand is growing for new technologies to support disaster-affected people in evacuation centers. But adoption costs have been high.
An outline of the envisioned growth strategy in the field of disaster prevention emphasized a "focus on contributing to solving common global challenges and 'profiting' overseas."
Among technologies with potential to be used abroad, it cited monitoring of quake and flood damage, systems to grasp the disaster situation by using satellites, and remote operation of machinery.
