Prepare for the earthquake just below the capital 2020 Overwhelmingly concentrated in 1st year 17:12 on January 7

The earthquake beneath the capital, which is the biggest threat to the Japanese economy. A magnitude 7 class earthquake is predicted to occur 70% of the time within the next 30 years. Once Tokyo, where population and urban functions are concentrated, is hit by a huge earthquake ... In 2013, the government announced damage estimates of up to 23,000 deaths. 610,000 buildings will be completely destroyed or destroyed. The economic damage is estimated to be 95 trillion yen. A member of the government expert meeting that summarized the damage assumption was Suntory Holdings President Takeshi Ninami. He is currently a member of the Economic and Fiscal Advisory Council, but emphasized that the only way to minimize the massive damage caused by the earthquake beneath the capital is to urgently correct the overconcentration in Tokyo. (Economics reporter Kei Nakazawa)

First year of concentration correction

(President Sina)
"We want 2020 to be the first year of over-concentration correction. We don't know when an inland earthquake will hit Tokyo, so we need to hurry up."

President Sina talking like this. For the Olympic Year, we would like to have a year in which we can determine how far “distribution of people and workplaces” can lead to correction of overconcentration. It means that we are considering various things in the company ...

(President Sina)
"There will be the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer, but we are going to change the way we work by conducting proof-of-concept experiments. It's located in the middle of the Paralympic venue area and we expect it will be very difficult to commute. ''

(President Sina)
"We are distributing secure computers and tablets to our employees, and we are testing whether we can work without having to come to the headquarters. I want to make the final conclusion. ''

Consider relocating base functions

President Shinami argues that in order to prepare for the earthquake beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area, it is necessary to disperse the base functions in rural areas. However, it is not easy to distribute functions. Some municipalities have taken advantage of tax incentives to embark on attracting companies, but local dispersal of companies seems to be slow.

Suntory Holdings has its registered headquarters in Osaka, while it takes over most of its headquarters functions in its base in Daiba, Tokyo.We asked where to consider what functions to move in the future. .

(President Sina)
"After analyzing the magnitude and risk of past earthquakes, we believe that the Sea of ​​Japan side is still more secure than the Pacific Ocean side. We are arguing that it is necessary to transfer management resources a little more and distribute it, and what kind of functions should be distributed is what we call non-business departments such as finance and accounting. I think that it is relatively easy to move.I would like to make a plan in the coming year. (Local relocation of functions) is not easy, but the main premise is whether it is safe and confront I think that if we communicate and share our awareness of the crisis, we can gain a good understanding inside the company. ''

For Tokyo to shine as an international city

Mr. Sina also pointed out that if the population and urban functions become overcrowded, safety risks would increase and the appeal of the international city of Tokyo could be lost. He argues that governments and corporations should move urgently to over-concentration while promoting smart cities in local cities using IT.

(President Sina)
"Isn't it all the case that if the concentration is changed, Tokyo will lose its appeal? I think this is not the case. Tokyo aims for people with various knowledge and skills. It is an international city where so-called highly skilled human resources gather, and it should be a city where such foreigners can stay with peace of mind.The more concentrated over time, the higher the risk of disaster, the more severe as an international city I think that by stopping overconcentration, we can shine as an international city that is resistant to disasters, but on the other hand, in order to spread from Tokyo to the local areas, we will first make the bases in the local areas smart cities. Promote the use of IT in cities and efficiently operate hospitals, child care, energy, and other facilities, as in Aizuwakamatsu City, prefecture. It is important to promote me. Economic and Fiscal Advisory I would like to actively encourage such a movement as a member of the conference. "

Utilizing private technology for disaster prevention and mitigation

What role should the business community play in preparing for an earthquake beneath the capital? Mr. Sina believes that it is necessary to utilize private technology for disaster prevention and mitigation as well as for the entire business community to work on the over concentration.

(President Sina)
"Use the technology developed by the private sector to help prevent and mitigate disasters. I think there is a great deal of this. Companies have accumulated know-how on how to use IoT and AI to operate production facilities reliably and cheaply. On the other hand, the latest technologies such as AI have not yet been fully utilized in disaster prevention, and they solve the problems of disaster prevention and mitigation with the power of technology, and this should not be used as a detonator for developing technologies. Is not it"

In this interview, President Sina named "the power of technology" as a keyword. It is said that the technology that can be used for disaster prevention has advanced remarkably compared to the case where a member of the government expert meeting in 2013 made damage estimation and countermeasures for the earthquake beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area. He also pointed out that it is necessary to think about the need to correct overconcentration with the power of technology.

Is this the first year of overconcentration correction as President Sina said? I would like to focus on corporate activities.

Economic Department Reporter
Kei Nakazawa Joined in 2011 Joined Fukushima and Fukuoka bureaus Currently in charge of distribution and food industry