Applied Sept 4, 2026 (notified Sept 5) — Yakushima Town, Kumage District, Kagoshima Prefecture
On September 5, 2026, the Cabinet Office (Director-General for Disaster Management) announced that Kagoshima Prefecture had applied the Disaster Relief Act to one municipality — Yakushima Town in Kumage District — in response to the disaster caused by Typhoon No. 24 and frontal heavy rain. The Act took effect on September 4 and was formally notified on September 5. The legal basis is Article 1, Paragraph 1, Item 4 of the Enforcement Order, which applies when many people have suffered, or are at risk of suffering, harm to life or body. Unlike Items 1 to 3, which are triggered by counts of destroyed households, Item 4 can be applied while rescue and evacuation are still ongoing, without waiting for damage to be tallied — and that is the basis used here. Once the Act applies, responsibility for relief shifts from the town to the prefecture. Shelter operation, food and drinking water, clothing and bedding, rescue of victims, emergency repairs to homes, and medical care are provided as statutory relief, paid by the prefecture with the national government covering a set share. In short, the response moves from what the town can fund alone to a framework backed by prefectural and national money.
Relief under the Disaster Relief Act is provided to people in the affected area, and the law sets no nationality or residence-status requirement. Foreign residents of Yakushima Town, technical intern trainees and Specified Skilled Workers, and tourists stranded mid-trip can all use evacuation shelters and receive drinking water, meals and medical care on the same terms. You do not need to worry about being turned away at a counter because of your visa type. Yakushima is a World Natural Heritage hiking destination with foreign visitors on the island year-round. Because it is an island, a suspension of flights or ferries cuts off travel entirely, so confirm extended accommodation and cancellation handling early. If Japanese-language disaster broadcasts are hard to follow, use the town's multilingual pages, translation apps and the disaster-prevention app supervised by the Japan Tourism Agency. For housing damage, a disaster victim certificate is the gateway to later support.
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On September 11, 2026, Japan's Cabinet Office applied the Disaster Victims Livelihood Recovery Support Act to five Chiba cities hit by the August 2026 heavy rain. Households whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged can apply for support payments.
On Sept 9, 2026 Japan's Cabinet Office announced the Disaster Relief Act now applies to Nagoya City, Aichi (from Sept 8) and Yakushima Town, Kagoshima (from Sept 4) after Typhoon No. 24 and frontal heavy rain. Shelters, emergency housing and home repairs are publicly funded — foreign residents and travelers qualify regardless of nationality.
Source:
Cabinet Office website (Application of the Disaster Relief Act for the disaster caused by Typhoon No. 24 and frontal heavy rain, 2026)This article was edited and written by freegent Inc. based on the source above.