[Held Monday, June 29] Home Seismic Retrofitting Seminar 〜 Consider seismic retrofitting for your own home and your parents’ home, and learn about national and local government support programs

Earthquakes are a concern, but have you ever worried that “only my elderly parent lives there” or “there’s no one to inherit the house even if I renovate it”?

For anyone in this situation, we’d like to introduce the “Home Seismic Retrofitting Seminar,” where you can learn about seismic retrofitting and local government subsidy programs related to the safety and security of your home.

What is the “Home Seismic Retrofitting Seminar”?

The “Home Seismic Retrofitting Seminar” is co-hosted by Okayama Prefecture and municipalities in the prefecture. It will be held for the first time in fiscal 2026, on the following dates.

• Kurashiki venue: Monday, June 29, 2026
  Kurashiki City Disaster Prevention and Crisis Management Center, 1st floor, Conference Room 152
• Okayama venue: Monday, July 6, 2026
  Minami Fureai Center, 3rd floor, Fureai Hall
• Tsuyama venue: Monday, July 13, 2026
  Tsuyama General Welfare Hall, 4th floor, Large Conference Room

Subsidies and other programs are available for wooden homes built before May 1981, but anyone interested in seismic retrofitting can attend.

For details, including how to apply, see the image below.

Interview with Kurashiki City Building Guidance Division

We spoke with Takaya Tetsuo of the Kurashiki City Building Guidance Division, who is responsible for organizing the Kurashiki venue.

The “Home Seismic Retrofitting Seminar” is being held for the first time this fiscal year. Could you tell us about the purpose and background behind planning it?

Takaya (honorific omitted)

This seminar is the first initiative of its kind, jointly organized by Okayama Prefecture and municipalities in the prefecture.
People from Outside Kurashiki City are also welcome to attend.

The main purpose of holding it is to communicate the importance of seismic retrofitting to as many people as possible.
Another goal is to carefully explain “Re-Birth 60 (an interest subsidy program for seismic retrofitting using a reverse mortgage),” a new support program launched by Okayama Prefecture this fiscal year.

Because “Re-Birth 60” is a financial product, it involves certain risks and can be complicated. That’s why we want to explain it carefully at the seminar and help lower the barriers to seismic retrofitting.

Who would you like to see attend the seminar?

Takaya

Of course, we’d like people living in older wooden homes built before May 1981 to attend. But we’d also like family members (the children’s generation) to come, even if they live elsewhere and their parents’ home is old.

Even if the homeowners themselves find it difficult to take action, hearing about it from their children may give them an opportunity to consider seismic retrofitting.

We also recommend it to anyone considering buying a “pre-owned home.”
New home prices are currently soaring, but if you buy an older pre-owned home at a low price and carry out renovations such as seismic retrofitting, you may be able to live safely in a home with specifications comparable to a new one while keeping costs down.

It should also be a valuable reference when considering your options for choosing a home.

Finally, do you have a message for our readers?

Takaya

In everyday life, there aren’t many opportunities to think about the “earthquake resistance” of your own home or your parents’ home, or what to do with it in the future.

So please don’t overthink it. We’d be happy if you approached this seminar with an open mind—as a good opportunity to simply “think a little about your home.”

The seminar will be held not only at the Kurashiki venue, but also at the Okayama and Tsuyama venues.
You may attend whichever venue you like, so please feel free to visit the one that’s most convenient for you.

From the Writer

I think quite a few people in their 40s and 50s have a family home where an elderly parent lives, but don’t plan to live there after their parent passes away. I’m one of them.

I’d never heard of the “Re-Birth 60” program before.
Even if you’re not eligible now, it may become an option in the future, so it could be worth attending the seminar to learn about it.

Why not attend for the safety and security of your home, including seismic retrofitting, and for the sake of your parent living in the family home?

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