Preparers of government white papers usually try hard not to offend anyone by giving only the average scores for survey results and, in the case of prefectural statistics, summing them up in flat tables. The 2004 white paper on fire and disaster management, however, carries a bar graph so that readers can see immediately which prefectures lag in making disaster-prevention centers earthquake-resistant.
Compiled by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA), the latest annual report has introduced a colored graph for a reality check. Until now, the agency had refrained from this approach, arguing that formulating such a graph would amount to criticism of prefectures that were slow to implement measures.
The report carries a special feature on damage caused by torrential rains and typhoons last summer and by the Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake in October. It specifies measures that should be taken up immediately.