Japan to partially amend the cabinet order designating the disaster caused by the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake as an extreme disaster, adding a designation of "special support relating to small and medium-sized enterprises" — promulgation and entry into force scheduled for August 28, 2026
Source material is a Japanese government announcement (in Japanese); this page is a summary.
Under an amending cabinet order decided by the Cabinet on August 25, 2026, "special support relating to small and medium-sized enterprises" is to be added as a designated applicable measure to the extreme disaster designation for the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake. Promulgation and entry into force are scheduled for Friday, August 28. The appendix to the amending cabinet order enters, as a 「局激」 applicable measure, the "special provision on disaster-related guarantees under the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Credit Insurance Act" (Article 12 of the Act), together with the covered areas of Yatsushiro City, Uki City, Mifune Town, Kashima Town and Hikawa Town in Kumamoto Prefecture; the same document adds that applicable measures or areas may be added as the assessment of the damage situation progresses.
Key facts
| Date of the Cabinet decision | Tuesday, August 25, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Scheduled date of promulgation and entry into force | Friday, August 28, 2026 |
| Original designating cabinet order | Promulgated and in force on Friday, August 7, 2026. Based on the 「激甚災害に対処するための特別の財政援助等に関する法律」, it designated the disaster caused by the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake as an extreme disaster and designated the measures to be applied |
| Applicable measure added by this amendment | "Special support relating to small and medium-sized enterprises". In the 「局激」 column of the appendix to the amending cabinet order, the "special provision on disaster-related guarantees under the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Credit Insurance Act" (Article 12 of the Act) is entered as the applicable measure, and Yatsushiro City, Uki City, Mifune Town, Kashima Town and Hikawa Town in Kumamoto Prefecture are entered as the covered areas |
| What disaster-related guarantees consist of | For small and medium-sized enterprises and others seeking to rebuild their businesses, special measures are applied under Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Credit Insurance: placing the insurance ceiling in a separate frame (別枠化), raising the compensation rate, and lowering the insurance premium rate. Where an extreme disaster is designated, "disaster-related guarantees", under which a 100% guarantee can be obtained for business rebuilding funds in a frame separate again from ordinary guarantees and from 「セーフティネット保証4号」 (Safety Net Guarantee No. 4), are applied |
| Ceiling and rates for disaster-related guarantees | A maximum of 280 million yen (2.8億円) — within 200 million yen (2億円) for ordinary guarantees and within 80 million yen (8,000万円) for unsecured guarantees — a compensation rate of 80%, and an insurance premium rate of 0.41% |
| The four 「本激」 applicable measures already designated | (i) Special financial support for disaster recovery projects for public civil engineering facilities and the like (Articles 3 and 4 of the Act) — the ordinary national subsidy rate is raised from 71% to 84% on the basis of the average of results over the past 5 years; (ii) special measures for subsidies for disaster recovery projects for farmland and the like (Article 5 of the Act) — for farmland, raised from 86% to 97% on the same basis; (iii) special provisions on subsidies for the cost of disaster recovery projects for jointly used facilities in agriculture, forestry and fisheries (Article 6 of the Act) — raised from 20% ordinarily to 50%, and to 90% for the municipalities given public notice by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; (iv) inclusion of principal and interest repayments on small disaster bonds in the standard financial demand amount, and the like (Article 24 of the Act) |
| Possibility of future changes | The materials on the amending cabinet order state that "applicable measures or areas may be added in the future as local public bodies and the relevant ministries and agencies make progress in grasping the damage situation" |
| Note in the original text on the requirements for application | The same document states 「激甚災害の措置は、いずれも一定以上の被害が生じた場合に適用され、その程度、範囲等は政令で定める基準に基づく」 |
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Japan's Cabinet Office (Director-General for Disaster Management) announced on August 25, 2026 that the 「令和八年熊本地震による災害についての激甚災害及びこれに対し適用すべき措置の指定に関する政令の一部を改正する政令」 (cabinet order partially amending the cabinet order on the designation of an extreme disaster, and of the measures to be applied thereto, with respect to the disaster caused by the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake) had been decided by the Cabinet the same day. The original designating cabinet order, based on the 「激甚災害に対処するための特別の財政援助等に関する法律」 (Act on Special Financial Support to Deal with Extreme Disasters), designated the disaster caused by the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake as an extreme disaster and designated the measures to be applied, and it was promulgated and came into force on Friday, August 7, 2026. This amending cabinet order adds the designation of a new applicable measure, "special support relating to small and medium-sized enterprises". The schedule is a Cabinet decision on Tuesday, August 25 and promulgation and entry into force on Friday, August 28. The 「局激」 (locally designated extreme disaster) applicable measure set out in the appendix to the amending cabinet order is the "special provision on disaster-related guarantees under the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Credit Insurance Act" (Article 12 of the Act), and the areas entered as covered are Yatsushiro City (八代市), Uki City (宇城市), Mifune Town (御船町), Kashima Town (嘉島町) and Hikawa Town (氷川町) in Kumamoto Prefecture. The same document, however, states 「今後、地方公共団体や関係省庁等による被害状況の把握の進展により、適用措置や地域が追加される場合がある」, so it does not present the entries in this appendix as a final list. The 「本激」 (nationally designated extreme disaster) applicable measures already designated by the cabinet order of August 7 are four: (i) special financial support for disaster recovery projects for public civil engineering facilities and the like (Articles 3 and 4 of the Act); (ii) special measures for subsidies for disaster recovery projects for farmland and the like (Article 5 of the Act); (iii) special provisions on subsidies for the cost of disaster recovery projects for jointly used facilities in agriculture, forestry and fisheries (Article 6 of the Act); and (iv) inclusion of principal and interest repayments on small disaster bonds (小災害債) in the standard financial demand amount, and the like (Article 24 of the Act).
Summaries below are factual notes based on government announcements and primary sources — not evaluations or opinions.
Summaries reflect national-level programs. Municipal (city/ward/town) programs may differ — confirm with the official desk before applying.
FAQ
What changes with this amendment?
"Special support relating to small and medium-sized enterprises" is to be added as a designated applicable measure to the extreme disaster designation cabinet order that was promulgated and brought into force on August 7, 2026. The amending cabinet order was decided by the Cabinet on August 25, and promulgation and entry into force are scheduled for Friday, August 28.
How do disaster-related guarantees differ from existing guarantees?
Cabinet Office materials explain that, as an "ordinary measure at the time of a disaster" before an extreme disaster is designated, 「セーフティネット保証4号」 (Safety Net Guarantee No. 4) applies in areas covered by the Disaster Relief Act, under which a small or medium-sized enterprise borrowing funds from a private financial institution can obtain a 100% guarantee from a credit guarantee corporation for business stabilization funds, in a frame separate from ordinary credit guarantees. Once an extreme disaster is designated, "disaster-related guarantees" apply, under which a 100% guarantee can be obtained for business rebuilding funds in a frame separate again from ordinary guarantees and from Safety Net Guarantee No. 4. Disaster-related guarantees have a maximum of 280 million yen (2.8億円) — within 200 million yen (2億円) for ordinary guarantees and within 80 million yen (8,000万円) for unsecured guarantees — a compensation rate of 80%, and an insurance premium rate of 0.41%.
Is our municipality covered?
The appendix to this amending cabinet order enters Yatsushiro City, Uki City, Mifune Town, Kashima Town and Hikawa Town in Kumamoto Prefecture as the areas covered by the 「局激」 applicable measure. The same document, however, states that applicable measures or areas may be added in the future as the grasp of the damage situation progresses, so please check the latest designation status in the published materials on the Cabinet Office's disaster management website.