Japan Govt to Help Efforts to Restart Schools after Disasters

Tokyo, Sept. 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan’s education ministry will help prefectural governments set up teams to help schools restart promptly after disasters, officials have said.

As of August, five of the country’s 47 prefectures had teams of teachers and other school-related staff that can be dispatched to support disaster-hit areas. The teams are sent to schools and municipal education boards roughly two weeks after disasters, if requested.

In response to the Jan. 1 earthquake that rocked the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa, Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan sent a team of up to 14 members to help restart local schools.

Miyagi, Mie, Okayama and Kumamoto prefectures also have such teams.

In fiscal 2025, which starts next April, the ministry will promote sharing of knowledge and know-how about support teams among prefectures and send experts to prefectures considering establishing ones.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]