Disaster Victim Certificate (Risai Shōmeisho) in Japan: How to Photograph Damage and Apply

Last reviewed October 18, 2026 · 14 min read · By the PEA team (Lumina Spark)

日本語版 (Japanese version)

Short answer: Before you clean up or repair, photograph the outside of your home from four directions where possible, and each damaged room as a whole plus close-ups of the damage. If water came in, hold a tape measure against the flood line so the depth shows. A smartphone is fine. Clean up or repair only after taking photos. If the damage is minor, some cities let you be assessed from your photos alone ("self-assessment"), but in some places you then can't ask for a survey later, so check before choosing it. Put your safety first. This article is general information based on Cabinet Office materials and city guidance as of October 2026; procedures and deadlines differ by city, town and village, so check your local government's guidance.

In English: the Digital Agency's English pages call the risai shōmeisho a "Disaster Victim Certificate." Application screens and forms are mostly in Japanese; if you need help, use the services in Where to get help.

Safety first

  • Don't go into a house that is tilting, has walls or a roof that might collapse, or is flooded inside. Aftershocks and secondary disasters are a risk.
  • Don't climb onto the roof or other high places. Photograph what you safely can, and tell the survey staff about the rest.
  • You can apply without photos. Photos help the assessment go faster; the Cabinet Office asks local governments not to make photos compulsory, except for self-assessment.

What the certificate is, and what it's for

The disaster victim certificate (risai shōmeisho) is a document in which your city, town or village certifies the degree of damage a disaster did to your home. Under Article 90-2 of the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act, when a disaster victim applies, the mayor must survey the damage to the home without delay and issue the certificate. Detailed procedures are set by each local government.

According to the Cabinet Office, the certificate is used to decide support such as:

  • payments: support money for rebuilding victims' livelihoods (hisaisha seikatsu saiken shienkin), donations distributed to victims;
  • loans: Japan Housing Finance Agency loans, disaster relief loans;
  • reductions or deferrals: taxes, insurance premiums, utility charges;
  • in-kind support: temporary housing, emergency repairs to homes.

According to a Cabinet Office leaflet (June 2026), the basic part of the livelihood support money must be applied for within 13 months of the disaster, and the additional part within 37 months.

What to photograph, and how many

In its leaflet for disaster victims, "Record the damage to your house with photos," the Cabinet Office asks people to photograph the outside and inside of their home before cleaning up or repairing, saying the photos are very helpful both for getting the certificate and for insurance claims.

WhatHowNotes
The outside of the houseWith a camera or phone, from four directions where possibleSelf-assessment requires the whole building from all four sides (4 or more photos)
The nameplateSo it's clear which house it isOne of the photos required for self-assessment
Flood depthA tape measure against the flood line, shot both wide and closeDetached wooden or prefab homes (1–2 floors) damaged by floods are first assessed by flood depth
Each damaged roomThe whole roomPhotograph every damaged room
Close-ups of damageA shot showing the whole damaged area, then closer shotsInner walls, floors, windows, doorways, sashes, sliding doors (fusuma, shōji), kitchen units, washbasins, toilets, bathroom units, etc.
Outer walls, foundation, roofCracks: a shot showing where they are, plus close-upsDon't climb the roof; shoot what you can from the ground

There's no upper limit on the number of photos. Even the Cabinet Office's photo guidance for survey staff says its numbers are minimums and more is fine. If in doubt, take more.

Tips

The points the Cabinet Office gives local survey staff are useful for residents too:

  • Photograph every damaged spot.
  • Show how much is damaged: a wider shot including the damaged area, then a closer shot.
  • Point with a finger so it's clear later what the photo shows.
  • Watch the light: avoid washed-out or dark shots outdoors, and blur or flash glare indoors.
  • Keep the date and time right. The Cabinet Office asks survey staff to set their camera's clock correctly so the date and time are recorded. Leave your phone's clock on automatic.
  • Don't edit. No brightening or cropping; keep the files as taken.

Damage levels, and why the photos matter

Under the Cabinet Office's guidelines, the damage to a home is classified by the damage ratio of the whole home and other measures:

LevelDamage ratio of the homeShare of floor area damaged
Completely destroyed (zenkai)50% or more70% or more
Large-scale half destroyed (daikibo hankai)40% to under 50%50% to under 70%
Medium-scale half destroyed (chūkibo hankai)30% to under 40%30% to under 50%
Half destroyed (hankai)20% to under 30%20% to under 30%
Semi-half destroyed (jun-hankai)10% to under 20%10% to under 20%
Partially damaged, less than semi-half (ichibu sonkai)Under 10%—

The level decides which support you can get. For example, emergency repair support covers large-scale half destroyed, medium-scale half destroyed, half destroyed and semi-half destroyed homes (Cabinet Office leaflet). The damage ratio is calculated by adding up damage to parts such as the roof, outer walls, floors, inner walls and fixtures, so photos showing damage part by part feed the assessment. Because flood-damaged detached wooden or prefab homes are first assessed by flood depth, photos showing the flood depth are especially important.

Photo-only assessment (self-assessment)

When damage is clearly minor, the assessment can be made from the photos you take, without an on-site survey by the city. This is called self-assessment (jiko hantei hōshiki). It is set out in Cabinet Office notices, and applies when you agree that the damage is "partially damaged, less than semi-half."

  • Conditions (Gifu City's example): all three of (1) the damage can be confirmed from the photos you took, (2) it can be confirmed as less than semi-half (under 10% damage to the whole house), and (3) you agree with the result.
  • Examples of minor damage (Gifu City): water under the floor (not above it), part of the roof tiles broken, broken eaves, cracks in part of an outer wall, a broken window.
  • Photos needed: the Cabinet Office handbook lists the whole building from all four sides (4 or more photos), the nameplate, and the damaged parts, and says plans of the house help if you have them.
  • Faster: since there's no on-site survey, the certificate comes sooner. Chiba City says photo-based assessment takes about 1–2 weeks.

Check before choosing it. If the photos don't clearly show minor damage, or you don't agree with the result, a normal on-site survey is done instead. But in some places, once you receive a self-assessment certificate, you can't ask for a survey later. Sendai City's rules say people who received a self-assessment certificate can't apply for a second survey of that home. If you think the damage may be worse than minor, consider asking for a normal survey, and check the rules at your local office.

Besides self-assessment, an on-site survey can also be skipped when photos clearly show an earthquake-damaged home is completely destroyed, or when photos show the flood depth (examples in the Cabinet Office's standard application form).

Applying: at the counter, online, prints

  • At the counter: apply at your city, ward, town or village office. Chiba City asks for color prints of the photos; Okayama City says you can apply without photos but asks you to bring prints if possible. The Cabinet Office handbook includes a city that accepted printed photos and hand-drawn sketches of the damage.
  • Online (Mynaportal): some local governments accept applications through Mynaportal with a My Number Card. The Digital Agency explains: in Mynaportal, use "search" to set your local government, search for the certificate, and choose the disaster certificate application; if it doesn't appear, your local government doesn't offer it. After the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake, 18 municipalities accepted online applications as of August 20, 2026 (12 through Mynaportal, 6 through their own forms). Kumamoto City says choosing self-assessment on Mynaportal makes photo attachments mandatory. Mynaportal is mainly in Japanese.
  • Local online forms: Funabashi, Kashiwa, Yokohama and other cities have their own online forms. Kashiwa allows up to 20 files and 5 MB in total and asks you to state the date the photos were taken; Yokohama asks for photos showing the date where possible.
  • Deadlines differ (Saitama City, for example, issues certificates within 6 months of the disaster in principle). Apply early.

Before cleaning up or repairing

  • Clean up or repair after taking photos. During the July 2020 floods, the Cabinet Office told local governments that people could start repairs before the survey once they had photographed the damage. Take photos first, so rebuilding isn't delayed.
  • Contact your local office before demolition or major repairs. The Cabinet Office handbook's Q&A says to contact the city first, and if you must go ahead, to keep photos showing the damage.
  • Without photos, you may not get the certificate. Saitama City says that if the home has already been repaired and no photos or other records show the damage, it issues a "damage report receipt" (hisai todokede juri-shō) instead, which only certifies that the report was received. It also doesn't issue the certificate for roof leaks without visible damage to the walls or roof.
  • Emergency repairs need photos too. According to the Cabinet Office leaflet, applying for emergency repair support requires an estimate and a copy of the certificate, and photos of the site. Urgent repairs such as tarps are checked against photos of the damage to see whether the home is at least semi-half destroyed, and are to be finished within 10 days in principle.

If you disagree with the result

  • Apply to the city that issued it. In the Cabinet Office handbook, if you disagree with the first survey (from the outside), you ask for a second survey (including the inside); if you disagree with that, you ask for a re-survey. Be clear about which points you disagree with.
  • Deadlines differ. Toyama City accepts re-survey requests within 3 months of the day after issue (up to twice); Sendai City accepts second-survey requests within 3 months, including verbally. The handbook also shows a city with a 10-day limit.
  • The result may not go up. The Cabinet Office asks local governments to explain that a new survey can change the result either way. Chiba City says a second survey can lower the level, in which case the certificate already issued is returned.
  • Your photos help explain where you think the assessment is wrong. The Cabinet Office says survey photos are also used to check re-survey requests.

How it differs from insurance

The certificate and fire or earthquake insurance assessments have different purposes and methods. The Cabinet Office handbook explains that earthquake insurance surveys are for paying claims, while home damage assessments decide which public support applies. Damage to household goods isn't reflected in the home damage assessment.

Keeping your photos

  • Keep the original files. Apps such as LINE may shrink images or strip the recorded date. Keep the files as taken even after you submit them.
  • Keep copies in two or more places: phones get soaked or broken. Copy them to a family member's phone, cloud storage or a computer.
  • Check whether the date is recorded. PEA's photo date and location checker (Japanese page; free, no account, the image never leaves your browser) shows whether a file has a recorded date. The date comes from the phone's clock and can be changed, so on its own it doesn't prove when a photo was taken.

Where to get help

  • Your city, ward, town or village office: applications, surveys, second surveys and re-surveys.
  • Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC) Help Desk: 0570-011000 (03-5363-3013 from IP phones or from abroad), weekdays 9:00 to 17:00, in English, Chinese and other languages.
  • Houterasu Multilingual Information Service: 0570-078377 (050-3754-5430 from IP phones and prepaid mobiles), weekdays 9:00 to 17:00: free information on legal procedures and where to consult, in English and nine other languages.
  • After the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake: the Immigration Services Agency's special page in English explains special arrangements for residence procedures (for example, accepting applications from people who couldn't apply before their deadline) and lists where to get help. In Kumamoto, the Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents answers on 080-4275-4489 (weekdays 8:30 to 17:00).
  • Disaster information in English: the Immigration Services Agency recommends the Safety Tips app and NHK WORLD-JAPAN.

About PEA

You don't need a PEA certificate to apply for the disaster victim certificate. Submit your photos as taken.

PEA (Professional Evidence Authenticator), from Lumina Spark in Japan, checks an image for signs of AI generation or editing and shows a grade from 1 to 10. It doesn't judge the degree of damage, or when or how damage happened. It may help if a dispute with a repair company or insurer turns on whether a photo shows the home before repairs: when you run a check, the file's hash is sealed with a digital signature and an RFC 3161 timestamp from a third-party authority, and a certificate (within 7 days; ¥1,000 per image) lets others confirm by certificate number that the file existed by the time of the check and hasn't changed since. It doesn't show when the photo was taken or when the damage happened, and the timestamp is not one accredited by Japan's Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications.

This article is general information about Japan, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

What photos do I need for a disaster victim certificate in Japan, and how many?

The Cabinet Office's leaflet asks people to photograph the outside of the house from four directions where possible, each damaged room as a whole, and close-ups of each damaged spot, photographing every damaged room and spot. If water came in, hold a tape measure against the flood line and shoot it wide and close. There's no fixed number, so take plenty. For self-assessment, the whole building from all four sides, the nameplate and the damaged parts are required.

Can I use smartphone photos? Do I need prints?

Smartphone photos are fine. How to submit differs: some cities ask for color prints at the counter (such as Chiba City), while others accept photos through Mynaportal or their own online forms. Some ask for photos showing the date, so keep the original files.

What if I cleaned up or repaired before taking photos?

Talk to your local office. The Cabinet Office's guidelines say that if damage can't be seen after cleaning up or repairs, it may be assessed from photos you provide and interviews. But some cities, such as Saitama, issue only a "damage report receipt" instead of the certificate if the home has been repaired and there are no photos or records of the damage. If you haven't cleaned up or repaired yet, take photos first.

What is self-assessment for the certificate?

When damage is clearly minor and you agree it is "partially damaged, less than semi-half," the city assesses it from your photos without an on-site survey. Examples include water under the floor, broken roof tiles or a broken window. It's faster, but in some cities, such as Sendai, you can't ask for a second survey after receiving a self-assessment certificate. If the damage may be worse, consider a normal survey.

What can I do if I disagree with the damage assessment?

Apply to the city that issued it for a second survey (including the inside) or a re-survey. Deadlines differ: Toyama City and Sendai City accept requests within 3 months of the day after issue. The result can go down as well as up.

Can foreign residents get a disaster victim certificate, and where can I get help in English?

Article 90-2 of the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act requires the mayor to issue the certificate when a disaster victim applies, with no nationality condition, so apply to your local government like anyone else. The Digital Agency's English pages call it a "Disaster Victim Certificate." For help in English, the FRESC Help Desk (0570-011000, weekdays 9:00 to 17:00) and the Houterasu Multilingual Information Service (0570-078377) can explain procedures; in Kumamoto, the Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents (080-4275-4489) can help.

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