Japan Press Weekly

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2011 April 6 - 12 [POLITICS]

Fragile firefighting framework in Japan

Local fire departments have a pivotal role to play in ensuring emergency preparedness for an earthquake, fire, and provision of first-aid. However, since the “administrative reform” was implemented by the previous LDP-Komei government, Japan’s firefighting system has been undermined.

As of 2009, the number of firefighters in Japan stands at 158,327, or 75.9% of the needed number of 208,516. The rate is lower in provincial areas than in major cities. In municipalities with populations of less than 50,000, the rate is around 50%.

In 2006, the LDP-Komei government adopted a policy to promote the consolidation of fire departments in municipalities. There used to be 930 departments, but there are now 802. In the future, the number is expected to fall to about 260.

Japanese Communist Party member of the Lower House Sasaki Kensho in 2007 asked the Prime Minister at that time, Fukuda Yasuo for a reason in the shortage of firefighters. Fukuda answered that the promotion of “administrative reform” in addition to each municipality’s financial difficulties are causing a decline in the number of public workers.

After the change in government to the DPJ, the new government conducted a fierce “budget-screening” practice. It decided to cut national subsidies for maintaining emergency firefighting units by 10%, although the subsidy system was established from the lessons learned in the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The DPJ government has already slashed 250 million yen in the subsidy.

Due to unfamiliarity with the area, an avoidable incident occurred in Hamamatsu City in 2009. An 80-year-old woman called for an ambulance but it did not come after waiting for quite a long time. Worried neighbors went off to look for the missing ambulance. It eventually arrived way late. The ambulance workers were not familiar with the area’s roads because they have to cover much wider areas than they used to. To familiarize themselves with all streets and lanes, it is necessary for each emergency crew to see the entire area with their own eyes. However, because the area is so large and they are severely understaffed, they cannot do this properly. They have to look around the area voluntarily when off-duty.

The DPJ is now competing with the LDP and the Your Party for further cuts in the number of local public workers.