Guidance opened July 31, 2026 — apply for a disaster certificate via Mynaportal or your city's system
After the Kumamoto earthquake on July 28, 2026, Japan's Digital Agency set up a disaster response headquarters at 6:20 p.m. the same day and has been providing digital support to the affected area. Of the measures listed in its September 4 status update, the one that matters most to residents is online application for the disaster damage certificate (り災証明書). This certificate is required when applying for the Disaster Victims' Livelihood Reconstruction Support Payment and for reductions or deferrals of taxes, insurance premiums and utility charges. Until now the standard route was a paper application at the city or town office counter; guidance has now opened for applying online through Mynaportal and each municipality's own system, so you no longer have to queue at a counter. Separately, the Disaster Digital Support Team (D-CERT) has been on site since July 29. It proposed a tool to speed up data entry into B-PLo, the new relief-supply system, and built and ran a dedicated app to streamline reception when people staying aboard the chartered vessel "Hakuo II" temporarily go ashore; from August 30 the same app also covers boarding and disembarking. Deployment from July 29 to September 4 totalled 202 person-days, with six staff on site as of September 4. Government AI "Gennai", provided to affected municipalities to collect and organise disaster information, was originally due to end after about three weeks but has been extended to September 30.
For foreign residents, the hardest parts of post-disaster paperwork are usually the Japanese-language counter and the long weekday queues. Being able to file for the disaster certificate through Mynaportal or a municipal system means you can start the procedure regardless of your work hours or where you have evacuated to. The certificate is not a one-off document: it is the gateway to several forms of support, including the Disaster Victims' Livelihood Reconstruction Support Payment and reductions or deferrals of taxes, insurance premiums and utility charges, so getting it early makes everything that follows easier. Note that online filing requires a My Number Card plus a smartphone that can read it or an IC card reader, and the process can stall if the address registered on your card differs from where you actually live. Application methods, required documents and deadlines are set by each municipality, so always check your own city or town's guidance. Government AI "Gennai", extended to September 30, is for municipal and agency staff — it is not a service residents use directly.
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Source:
Digital Agency website (Response status regarding the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake, September 4)This article was edited and written by freegent Inc. based on the source above.