Kawasaki Heavy Industries said Thursday it wants to make Japan’s first ventilators to be used in underground shelters in 2026, as neighboring China intensifies its military buildup and North Korea increases its nuclear and missile arsenal.
“First of all, these are intended for disaster relief shelters in natural disaster-prone Japan. But they are also intended for defense shelters,” a Kawasaki Heavy spokesperson said.
“It is believed that there will be occasions when people will have to take refuge in shelters for this purpose.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently said that Japan was in the strictest security situation since the end of World War II.
Referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kishida has also said that what is happening to Ukraine could happen “tomorrow” in East Asia.
Kawasaki Heavy’s announcement comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that included a mutual defense pledge.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who is campaigning for a third term, has pledged to set up shelters to protect the capital’s 14 million residents from possible rocket attacks.
Kawasaki Heavy, which as a submarine manufacturer already has expertise in air supply control in confined spaces, said the planned fans can remove both toxic gas and small particles from the air.
It has yet to be determined how much the ventilators will be sold for, the spokesperson said.
