emergency measures as would be taken in the Tokal Region based on a last-minute prediction, i.e. issuing before the earthquake the Declaration of Warning followed by the emergency measures mentioned above. Various comprehensive preparations for earthquakes have been made in order to prevent and reduce disaster damage. The Central Disaster Prevention Council implemented the necessary countermeasures for earthquake disaster in regions exposed to extreme damage by earthquakes occurring directly below them, based on the interim report and the latest report submitted by the Special Committee for Designating the Areas under Intensified Earthquake Disaster Prevention, and prescribed the "General Principles relating to Preparation for Earthquakes Occurring Directly Below the Southern Kanto Region" in August 1993.
These "General Principles" pointed out the immediate tasks to be faced in order to implement the comprehensive countermeasures to prevent and reduce earthquake damage in the designated areas. At the same time, it set the basic guidelines for the design of policies to deal with those tasks.
The guidelines are shown below.
1)Making the cities resistant to earthquakes
a. Improving disaster prevention facilities and making the city structure disaster-proof
b. Promoting countermeasures against liquefaction of the soil
2)Prevention and Reduction of Earthquake Disaster in Cities
a. Improving measures to maintain vital services
b. Improving measures to prepare computer backups
c. Improving measures to enhance the earthquake resistance of existing buildings and preventing secondary disaster from
