Quick Answer: Disaster prep in a Japanese rental starts by separating what a tenant may change from what needs the landlord's OK. Use official hazard maps and municipal evacuation alerts as the source of truth, and ask the management company before drilling or fixing furniture. Keep a small kit using public stockpile guidance, and follow your building's posted rules.
Who is this guide for?
This guide is for foreign residents in Japanese rental apartments and anyone preparing a rental home. It focuses on tenant limits, the management company, restoration rules, and rental insurance—not a nationwide disaster encyclopedia.
For the apartment-hunting overview, see
the foreigner's apartment hunting guide
. Utility outage contacts and start-up steps belong in
the utilities setup guide
.
What may a renter change without approval?
In a rental, do not drill, screw, or rewire the unit on your own. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) restoration guideline treats a tenant's restoration duty as repair of damage from intent, negligence, or use beyond ordinary wear. It does not mean returning every surface to brand-new condition. The guideline is not legally binding; the contract and how the room was used decide the case.
Before anti-tip furniture work, ask the management company or landlord about:
- Holes, screws, or adhesives in walls or ceilings
- Tension poles or linking furniture in ways that are easier to reverse
- Items in corridors, stairs, or balcony evacuation routes
- When and where to report disaster damage
Do not assume earthquake safety allows drilling. Keep written permission. For damage records and move-out settlement, use the same terms as
the move-out and deposit return guide
.
What should you check on hazard maps and the building?
Treat flood, landslide, and tsunami scenarios for your address as coming from MLIT's hazard-map portal and your municipality's maps. The portal is a national entry point; legends and shelters are on local pages.
Treat building age and structure as qualified clues, not a personal safe-or-unsafe verdict.
- Around 1981 (the newer seismic code) is one lens for equipment and structure. For property-type reading, see
rental property types in Japan
- Lower floors may face flooding; higher floors may sway more or lose elevators—trade-offs depend on the building and site
- Exit routes, extinguishers, stairs, and posted shelters follow that building's manager or association
The Japan Meteorological Agency defines an active volcano as one that erupted roughly within the past 10,000 years or that currently has vigorous fumarolic activity, and states that Japan has 111 active volcanoes. Whether your address has volcanic risk is for JMA and municipal information, not this article.
How should you read evacuation wording?
Municipal evacuation information is organized in five alert levels. Cabinet Office and government public-relations guidance highlights:
- Alert level 3 “evacuation of the elderly and others”: people who need more time, and those who help them, start leaving dangerous places
- Alert level 4 “evacuation instruction”: everyone in the target area leaves dangerous places
- Alert level 5 “ensure emergency safety”: safe evacuation may already be hard. Do not wait for this notice. It is not always issued
“Evacuation advisory” is not the current alert-level term. If an older article or spoken explanation still uses it, check the municipality's latest wording.
Weather and river information from JMA and others is “alert-level equivalent” information and may not be issued at the same time as a municipal order. This article does not judge your personal risk. Follow official orders and your building's notices.
The Japan Tourism Agency–supervised Safety tips app can deliver earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings, and similar alerts in several languages. Check the app's own notice rules, and keep municipal wireless and official sites as well.
What should you check in rental insurance?
Fire, household-contents, and tenant-liability cover bought at move-in vary by plan and policy wording. Confirm the following on the contract and certificate; do not assume “everything is covered.”
- Whether your belongings and liability to the landlord are separate
- Water damage, theft, and earthquake / eruption / tsunami treatment (riders)
- Temporary housing costs, deductibles, and claim contacts
- Overlap or gaps between a management-company policy and one you chose
Photograph damage and note when you reported it before claiming. Ongoing medical care is an individual decision; this guide stays with supplies and contacts.
What belongs in a go-bag?
Prime Minister's Office disaster guidance, among other official pages, uses about 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, food for at least three days, and a week if possible. Households with infants, medical needs, or pets should add what they need on top of that public baseline.
Keep at least the following in one place.
- Water and ready-to-eat food (check dates)
- Regular medicine, spare glasses, hygiene items, infant supplies if relevant
- Portable toilets, masks, a battery pack, a radio or another way to get information
- Residence card, passport, insurance papers, a copy of the lease, a small amount of cash
- Contacts for the management company, work or school, and an emergency contact in Japan
- If you have a pet: leash, carrier, food (shelter acceptance depends on the municipality and facility)
When utilities stop, restart through the electricity, gas, and water providers you contracted.
The utilities guide
is the place to keep those contacts.
For evacuating with a pet, see
living with pets in Japanese apartments
.
FAQ
May I screw furniture to the wall after every quake?
Not automatically. Drilling and adhesives follow the contract and the management company's answer. Even tension poles need a check on ceilings and shared areas.
Should I refuse a unit that shows flood risk on a hazard map?
This article does not approve or reject individual listings. Compare the scenario, exit routes, floor, insurance, and how you will receive municipal alerts.
If an evacuation instruction is issued, may I stay in the apartment?
The municipal wording and the building's exit or stay-in-place guidance are authoritative. Do not generalise that “apartments are safe.” Alert level 4 calls for leaving dangerous places.
If the room is damaged, is it taken from the deposit?
It depends on cause, contract, and insurance. Record the damage and report it. Whether you pay follows restoration principles and the itemised bill. For settlement steps, see
the move-out guide
.
When is 171 used?
NTT's Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171) is described as a way to leave voice safety messages after a major disaster. It is not an everyday phone number. Check whether it is open and how to use it in the official notice at the time.
What should you do next?
- Open the hazard map for your address and learn how your municipality sends alerts
- Ask in writing whether furniture fixing, drilling, and items in shared areas are allowed
- Store insurance papers with your residence card, and pack a kit using official stockpile guidance
- Confirm outage contacts with
the utilities guide
and your providers
Sources
- MLIT Hazard Map Portal (checked 2026-09-08) — National entry for flood, landslide and tsunami maps.
- Cabinet Office — Evacuation information guidelines (checked 2026-09-08) — Alert levels and evacuation wording.
- Gov.jp — Evacuate dangerous places by alert level 4 (checked 2026-09-08) — Resident-facing levels 3–5.
- JMA — What is an active volcano (checked 2026-09-08) — Definition and 111 active volcanoes.
- Prime Minister's Office — What you can do before a disaster (checked 2026-09-08) — Example stockpile including about 3 litres of water per person per day for three days.
- MLIT — Restoration trouble guideline (checked 2026-09-08) — Ordinary wear versus tenant-paid damage.
- JNTO — Safety tips (checked 2026-09-08) — Tourism Agency–supervised disaster alert app.
- NTT East — Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171) (checked 2026-09-08) — Voice safety-message service in disasters.