This audio is generated by AI, so pronunciation and expressions may not be fully accurate. The narration is only in English.
"Preparedness shouldn't be something you only think about during an emergency," Kondoh says. "If it's built naturally into daily routines, it creates value in normal times. And when something happens, it's already there."
This thinking underpins the concept Kondoh describes as "phase-free"—systems and tools designed to function in both ordinary and emergency settings. Rather than viewing preparedness as a sunk cost that sits idle until disaster strikes, the goal is to embed it into daily life so it continuously delivers value.
Kondoh points to familiar examples. Photoluminescent guidance elements, now common in transport hubs and public spaces, improve visibility in low-light conditions without relying on electricity. In normal times, they enhance safety and convenience. During a blackout, they become evacuation aids. "You don't change how you use them," he says. "They just keep working."
He sees a similar shift taking place in organizations. Disaster countermeasures were once the responsibility of a single department. Increasingly, resilience is treated as a management issue—part of how companies protect people, operations, and long-term viability. "Large firms have worked on business continuity planning for years," Kondoh says. "What's changing is that more organizations now feel they can't afford to recover later."
Two forces are driving that change. One is the growing frequency of extreme events, particularly those linked to climate change. The other is structural. Among small and midsize firms especially, leadership is aging, succession can be uncertain, and rebuilding after a major shock may not be realistic. "There used to be a mindset of 'we'll bounce back,'" he says. "Now many leaders feel they don't have the time or resources to start over."
He also notes that risk today extends beyond natural disasters. Global supply chains mean disruptions can originate far from Japan. "People picture earthquakes or storms," he says. "But internationally, risk also includes geopolitical instability. Everything is connected."
Translating that broader understanding of risk into action is where Sakigake Japan comes in.
Founded in 2023, Sakigake Japan works to expand the adoption of Japanese disaster-preparedness and climate-adaptation solutions in Japan and overseas.
"We're not a company that just sells products," Kondoh says. "We support partners with market research, positioning, targeting, and execution. Some want comprehensive support, others want something lighter. We adjust based on their needs."
Many of the solutions introduced through Sakigake Japan are developed by partner companies or research teams. The company's value lies in matching those technologies with real-world contexts—helping organizations understand where they fit and how they can be deployed effectively.
That work, Kondoh says, is informed by Tokyo itself.
Tokyo brings those challenges into sharp focus. "It's dense in every sense—population, infrastructure, commerce," Kondoh says. "When something happens, the impact can spread quickly."
At the same time, he describes Tokyo as highly refined in its approach to safety. Building standards, transport systems, and small design details quietly shape how people move through risk. From an overseas perspective, the city is often seen as a megacity that combines scale with meticulous care.
Looking ahead, Kondoh believes Tokyo's next step is strengthening its ability to function in a more distributed way—so that if one district is affected, others can continue operating and provide backup. "If Shibuya is impacted, Shinjuku can still function," he says. "Resilience improves when systems don't all fail at once."
That balance makes Tokyo a powerful prototype. Solutions proven here can be adapted for other dense cities worldwide. At the same time, Tokyo's geography includes waterfronts and remote islands, offering a diverse testing ground for resilience strategies across very different conditions.
Those ideas drew strong interest when Sakigake Japan brought them to a global audience.
That response was evident at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2025, where Sakigake Japan exhibited for the first time. "Our booth was constantly full," Kondoh says.
While climate-related solutions are now common at global innovation events, he notes that disaster tech remains a relatively small category. That scarcity worked in their favor. "I feel like preparedness is finally being seen as a space for innovation," he says. "Not just emergency response."
Visitors came from Japan and abroad, with strong representation from across Asia, as well as interest from the Middle East and Europe. What resonated most was the realization that preparedness tools could also support daily operations. "When people understand they are useful every day, their perception changes," he says.
Among the solutions Sakigake Japan introduces is an AI- and cloud-based platform that visualizes weather and flood risk. Kondoh sees particular relevance for Tokyo, where sudden, localized downpours can overwhelm infrastructure. "It helps estimate how much inundation risk a specific area faces," he says. "That supports earlier precautions, better planning, and realistic training."
He also highlights a blind spot in disaster planning: the assumption that major disasters happen in winter. "If a large disaster hits in summer now and air conditioning stops, it can become life-threatening," he says.
Mobile cold-chain solutions address that gap. Portable refrigeration units can support events and logistics in normal times, then shift to evacuation support for food, beverages, and medicines during emergencies. In addition to being movable, they can operate off-grid when external power is lost, enabling faster, more localized response when transport and utilities disrupted.
Portable helipads offer another phase-free solution, expanding landing options in locations that do not justify permanent infrastructure and improving access in both urban districts and remote regions.
Kondoh emphasizes that resilience must work at a human scale. Tokyo is home to children, older adults, families, single workers, and residents from many cultural and religious backgrounds. "There's no single answer," he says. "Everyone has their own situation."
What matters is approachability. When preparedness feels burdensome or abstract, people disengage. When it is integrated into daily life—and even enjoyable—it becomes sustainable.
"Don't treat it as something special," Kondoh says. "If you approach it with curiosity, even a sense of play, you build habits that help every day. That's what real resilience looks like."
SusHi Tech Tokyo, short for Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo, is a Tokyo-based concept that leverages high technology to help create a sustainable city, delivering messages at home and abroad showcasing Tokyo's comprehensive attractiveness, and the challenges of resolving urban issues.SusHi Tech Tokyo | Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo
