🌀 Typhoon 18: Relief Act Now Covers Tokunoshima

❓ What was decided?

On September 30, 2026, Japan's Cabinet Office (Disaster Management) announced that Kagoshima Prefecture had decided to apply the Disaster Relief Act to the town of Tokunoshima (Oshima District) for the disaster caused by Typhoon No. 18. The effective date is August 25; the public notice was issued on September 30. As of the notice date, 11 homes were completely destroyed and 60 partly destroyed. The legal basis is Article 1, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the Enforcement Order of the Disaster Relief Act — the category applied when the number of destroyed homes exceeds a threshold set according to the municipality's population. Here, the trigger was the large number of damaged homes caused by the typhoon. Once the Act applies, responsibility for emergency relief shifts from the town to the prefecture. Kagoshima Prefecture provides shelters, temporary housing, food and drinking water, clothing and bedding, medical care and childbirth assistance, emergency home repairs, school supplies, and debris removal, with the national government covering part of the cost. Before the Act applies, a town largely relies on its own budget; afterwards, relief proceeds within a funded framework, changing both its scale and speed. Note that the effective date is backdated to August 25, so relief carried out from that day onward is covered.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Everyone living in Tokunoshima, Oshima District, Kagoshima — including foreign residents
• ●Households whose homes were destroyed or damaged by Typhoon No. 18
• ●Foreign workers in the town (technical intern trainees, Specified Skilled Workers) and their employers
• ●Tourists and business travelers who were staying on Tokunoshima
• ●People off the island who want to support affected family or friends

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

Emergency relief under the Disaster Relief Act does not distinguish by nationality or residence status. Foreign residents in Tokunoshima are equally eligible for shelters, food and drinking water, medical care and childbirth assistance, and emergency home repairs. Tourists and business travelers who were caught in the disaster can also use shelters and other relief. The practical challenge is knowing which counter to go to, by when, and with what documents. On a remote island the town office is the real information hub, so start with the Tokunoshima Town Office or the prefecture's guidance. Notices and disaster radio are mostly in Japanese, so it helps to ask staff to repeat things in simple Japanese, to have them show you written or photo materials, or to bring someone from your workplace or school. Separately, the disaster victim certificate (rishō shōmeisho) that officially documents damage to your home is a different procedure handled by the town office. Because it underpins decisions on temporary housing and various support payments, take dated photos of the damage before you clean up.