Japan quake exposes gaps in corporate disaster preparedness

A powerful earthquake in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture has exposed weaknesses in corporate disaster preparedness, as secondary damage — including a major shopping mall explosion and the collapse of factory structures — continued to mount in its wake.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun and other outlets, a large explosion of unknown cause struck Aeon Mall Kumamoto after the quake, bringing down ceilings and exterior walls and causing casualties.

Store employees had initially evacuated after the earthquake but then returned inside to assess the situation. One employee said those who had gone back in managed to get out before the explosion and were all safe. Had they been even slightly slower to leave, the incident could easily have turned into a mass-casualty disaster.

At the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, a large smokestack collapsed onto workers, killing some who were trapped — one of several casualties reported at industrial sites.

Disaster preparedness experts warn that even earthquake-resistant buildings can become the scene of major secondary accidents, as tremors can rupture gas pipes, sprinkler systems and other internal infrastructure.

Hiroi Yu, a professor of urban disaster prevention at the University of Tokyo, said large facilities can become extremely dangerous spaces under the force of intense shaking. "Even after the shaking stops, the ironclad rule is to remain outside the building until safety has been clearly confirmed," he said.

The case of Aeon Mall Kumamoto carries particular weight given that the facility served as an emergency shelter during the 2016 earthquake and has long functioned as a community relief hub — making the need to strengthen safety management systems against secondary damage all the more urgent, experts say.

Japan's characteristically passive approach to corporate disaster preparedness has also come under scrutiny. Kawada Yoshiaki, a professor at Kansai University's Research Center for Urban Safety and Security, said Japanese companies tend to take the attitude of "if no damage has occurred, take no action." "What matters is responding to anticipated risks, not waiting to see whether actual damage materializes," he said.