Japanese companies face gap in typhoon and flood preparedness

A survey conducted by JX News Agency among 508 business continuity planning (BCP) professionals in Japan reveals a significant gap between risk perception and actual preparedness regarding typhoons and wind/flood damage.

While 83.1% of companies recognize these weather events as a “major risk” to business continuity, only 47% have fully established their own decision-making criteria for employee attendance and commuting. For decisions regarding preventing commuting or returning home the day before an event, the completion rate drops to 41.1%.

Risk awareness is particularly high among companies located in flood-prone areas, where 93.9% view these events as a major risk. The primary obstacles to establishing complete protocols include the difficulty of predicting sudden heavy rainfall, such as linear precipitation zones, a lack of expertise in setting criteria specific to company locations, and concerns regarding false alarms.