Japan aims to reduce expected megaquake death toll by 80%

The target will be included in a new basic plan for promoting disaster prevention measures, which is expected to be adopted by the government's Central Disaster Management Council in early July.

The government will also aim to halve the expected number of burned and destroyed buildings in the possible megaquake, currently at up to 2.35 million.

The basic plan lists emergency earthquake response measures and disaster mitigation targets for the next 10 years.

The government is now working to update the existing plan, based on damage estimates released in March.

The new plan is expected to call for working intensively to develop evacuation shelters and stockpile emergency supplies to prevent earthquake-related deaths from indirect causes.

The current basic plan, adopted in fiscal 2014, has the same 10-year targets to reduce the expected death toll and building damage.

However, it was revealed in March that both numbers had only been reduced by 20 pct.