2023 Volume 21 Issue 1 Pages 13-22
Japan has 111 active volcanoes and has experienced numerous volcanic disasters, but in recent years there have been no large-scale volcanic eruptions that have caused ash fall on urban areas. As a result, in Japan, many private companies have not yet developed a business continuity plan (BCP) for urban functions lost due to ash fall. Fuji eruption as an example, we conducted an eruption-simulation-survey to verify how well BCP currently established by private companies would be effective in the event of an eruption and compared the responses of companies that had established BCP that could not work for an eruption with those of companies that had established BCP that could work for an eruption. The results of the survey revealed the elements of a BCP that are necessary to respond to the eruption. The results revealed that many companies are not prepared for Mt. Fuji eruption and that their existing BCP may not be effective. On the other hand, companies that have established BCP that enable them to respond to the eruption were found to implement more actions at each phase, such as when the eruption alert level is raised, during the eruption, and during ash fall, and to believe that their inventory and replacement strategies will enable them to continue operations even when logistics are suspended for several weeks. There was a difference in the level of discussion of volcanic eruption risk involving management between companies that had established BCP that were unable to respond to eruptions or not. The significant difference also appeared in their approach to business continuity management (BCM).
