Japan Smart and Resilient Shelter Infrastructure
Japan’s expanded focus on civil protection, shelter development, and disaster preparedness presents a growing opportunity for U.S. companies offering shelter technologies, resilient infrastructure, emergency response systems, and smart, multi-purpose facility designs. As Japan increases national-level funding and prioritizes dual-use infrastructure for both security and natural disaster response, U.S. firms with advanced technologies and proven resilience solutions may find strong opportunities in this market.
The Japanese government is taking steps to strengthen its civil protection and national resilience policies. In 2024, it issued a basic policy for the development of evacuation facilities (shelters) in the event of an armed attack, with plans to promote the development of underground shelters, particularly in the Nansei Islands near Taiwan.
In March 2026, the Japanese central government announced plans to expand shelter capacity to approximately 10 million people, which would cover 10% of Japan’s population, double the amount of the current shelter capacity. Traditionally, shelters, which can be very expensive to build, were funded by the local government, so this is significant departure in funding models. Given the substantial costs associated with large-scale infrastructure development, there is growing interest in smart and multi-purpose shelter systems that can serve multiple functions, including emergency protection and natural disaster response.
Japan has long been recognized as a global leader in disaster preparedness and resilient infrastructure. At the same time, the country remains one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiencing frequent earthquakes, typhoons, floods, and landslides. In response, the government has significantly increased investment in resilience and preparedness.
Japan’s annual disaster-related spending exceeds $13 billion, with additional funding provided by prefectural and municipal governments. Furthermore, the government recently approved a five-year national resilience program exceeding $130 billion (approximately ¥20 trillion) for disaster mitigation, infrastructure reinforcement, and preparedness measures between FY2026 and FY2030. Against this backdrop, technologies and infrastructure solutions that can contribute to both disaster resilience and emergency preparedness are drawing increased attention.
A great place to sell U.S. Shelter Technologies is at the at the RISCON trade show, Japan’s largest safety-focused trade show attracting 20,000 visitors including more than 5,000 government agencies. For more information, please contact Office.Tokyo@trade.gov.