Safer Schools Making Schools Resilient at Scale: The Case of Japan

The experience of Japan in bringing its schools to earthquake-resistant standard offers key lessons for developing countries across policy development, program design, financing modalities, and program implementation.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 caused widespread loss of life and destruction in and around the city of Kobe. Almost 4,000 schools were destroyed. It was a wakeup call for the Government of Japan, and created the political will to accelerate a national program that over time would make almost every school resilient to the impact of earthquakes.

In Japan, policies and guidelines for safer school facilities, school disaster management, and disaster risk reduction education are formulated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). As described in　the report, this is aligned with national disaster prevention plans. These policies and guidelines are subsequently implemented at the school and community level. 

The report sheds light on how the central government has evolved to establish policies and create a mechanism for school retrofitting. It also describes the local government’s efforts to implement these policies and overcome challenges of limited budgets, among others.