Tokyo businesses show low seismic breaker adoption in disaster survey

A survey by the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry reveals significant gaps in disaster preparedness among member companies. Only 10.7% of surveyed businesses have installed seismic breakers to prevent electrical fires during earthquakes, while over 50% of companies reported they are unaware of their current installation status.

Regarding Business Continuity Planning (BCP), the overall formulation rate stands at 38.2%. While large corporations show a high adoption rate of 74.3%, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lag significantly at 29.9%. Among SMEs, there is a notable gap in active disaster management, with training implementation rates at only 37.5% compared to 75.3% for large firms.

In response to these vulnerabilities, Sanwa Shoji Co., Ltd. is promoting specialized disaster prevention tools. The company will demonstrate its “zen断+” (zendan plus), a plug-in type seismic breaker designed to shut off electricity without professional installation, at the “GOOD LIFE Fair 2026” held at Tokyo Big Sight. This initiative aims to address the risk of “re-energization fires,” which accounted for approximately 60% of fire causes during the Great Hanshin-Awaji and Great East Japan earthquakes.