[Japan Pet Disaster Prevention Association] Launch of the 'Pet Disaster Prevention Action Program' in Collaboration with Local Governments to Accelerate the Social Implementation of Pet Disaster Prevention!!

The Japan Pet Disaster Prevention Association (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hideki Nonaka) has launched the "Pet Disaster Prevention Action Program" aimed at solving issues related to evacuating with pets and operating evacuation centers during disasters, as well as building a sustainable disaster prevention system.

This program accelerates the social implementation of pet disaster prevention by comprehensively promoting system design, base development, human resource development, and digital infrastructure development, based on collaboration with local governments, companies, and local communities.

■ Background
In recent years, natural disasters such as earthquakes and torrential rains have occurred frequently in Japan, and each time, issues regarding the evacuation environment for households with pets have become apparent.

Particularly in evacuation centers, structural problems such as:
- Lack of space for accommodating pets
- Challenges in hygiene management and infectious disease countermeasures
- Consideration for animal allergies
- Shortage of evacuation center management personnel
often lead to cases where pets cannot be accompanied.

As a result, there is a generation of "pet refugees" who give up on using evacuation centers and are forced to sleep in their cars or stay at home. Secondary risks such as delays in evacuation behavior and decreased safety have also been pointed out.

To address these challenges, there is a need for a systematic and implementable approach involving collaboration between the government, communities, and the private sector, rather than just individual responses.

■ Overview of the Pet Disaster Prevention Action Program
This program promotes the construction of a pet disaster prevention system centered on the following four pillars:

1. Local Government Collaboration and System Design
- Promotion of collaboration agreements with prefectures and municipalities
- Construction of collaborative systems with disaster prevention/crisis management departments
- Systematization and modeling of accompanying evacuation, co-evacuation, and in-room evacuation
- Analysis of advanced cases and support for system design according to regional characteristics

2. Development of "Paw Stations" (Secondary Pet Evacuation Bases)
- Utilization of public facilities (community centers, closed school buildings, etc.) and public land
- Construction of reception systems through cooperation with private facilities
- Development of dedicated environments that consider hygiene management, flow line design, individual identification, etc.
- Establishment of an operational model that connects normal times with emergencies

3. Implementation of Accompanying Evacuation Plans and Disaster Prevention Education
- Support for local governments in formulating accompanying evacuation plans
- Conducting disaster prevention seminars and awareness events for residents
- Ensuring effectiveness through linkage with regional disaster prevention plans

4. Pet ID Platform "Animoba"
- Centralized management of individual identification information, vaccine history, and health information
- Prompt confirmation of reception and reunification support during disasters
- Streamlining operations through integration with evacuation centers and Paw Stations
- Building a data foundation to support disaster prevention DX

■ Expected Effects
- Facilitation of evacuation behavior (suppression of delayed evacuation and sheltering at home)
- Streamlining of evacuation center operations and reduction of troubles
- Establishment of a sustainable disaster prevention system through public-private partnerships
- Creation of new model cases in urban disaster prevention

■ Future Expansion
Through this program, the Association will promote the conclusion of collaboration agreements with local governments nationwide, as well as verification and implementation through collaboration with private companies.

We will also provide customized introduction support tailored to regional characteristics, making it available nationwide.