Half of Japan municipalities say evacuation shelters fall short: survey

Nearly half of municipalities across Japan say evacuation shelters they are preparing do not meet government guidelines on the required number of toilets or minimum living space per person, a recent Kyodo News survey showed, citing budget and capacity constraints.The survey findings highlight the urgent need for the central and local governments in quake-prone Japan to make further efforts in this area, as inadequate shelter conditions could even prove fatal.In December, the Japanese government revised its evacuation shelter guidelines to align with the internationally recognized Sphere sta…READ FULL ARTICLE