Ten years have passed since the Kumamoto Earthquake. The prefecture has preserved numerous disaster remains to pass on the lessons learned to future generations. Kumamoto Prefecture and Toyota are working together to utilize the Passable Route Map to help protect lives in times of disaster.
On Disaster Prevention Day, September 1, 2025, Kumamoto Prefecture, Toyota, and the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) concluded a partnership agreement to leverage data for rapid initial response during disasters, as well as for subsequent recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The agreement involves combining the Passable Route Map developed by Toyota with traffic restriction data and disaster response base information held by Kumamoto Prefecture to create an integrated map and conduct demonstration trials.
On the same day the agreement was signed, Toyota Times published an article (Japanese only) documenting the development process and the people involved in making the Passable Route Map, which collects driving data from Toyota vehicles and displays it on a map.
In this week’s Toyota Times News, we look at disaster preparedness training conducted after the agreement was signed.
Time is crucial in disaster response. During training, participants compare incoming information at the disaster response center with the Passable Route Map to identify the fastest possible rescue routes amid constantly changing conditions. Any issues identified are immediately communicated to the Passable Route Map development team.
Kumamoto Prefecture experienced a large earthquake in 2016, followed by torrential rain damage in 2020 and 2025. As the first in Japan to utilize the Passable Route Map for disaster preparedness, Kumamoto Prefecture is working to translate these experiences into lessons for the future through ongoing training efforts.