Training Facility for Heavy Machinery Operators Hopes to Play Outsize Role in Disaster Relief, Reconstruction Efforts

By Eri Shimamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

17:07 JST, October 21, 2025

TSUKUBA, Ibaraki — A training facility for operators of heavy machinery who volunteer in disaster-stricken areas opened in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture.

The facility, which also lends the machinery to areas hit by a disaster, is expected to become an important hub for disaster relief and reconstruction efforts. It is said that this type of facility is uncommon nationwide.

It is difficult to establish a facility where people can learn how to operate the machinery because of space requirements and noise problems. However, construction of the Nippon Foundation Disaster Volunteer Training Center (VTC), run by the Tokyo-based Nippon Foundation Volunteer Center, was completed on March 7. The site was chosen because it is close to central Tokyo and has ample land.

It serves as a training facility for people interested in the operation of backhoes and other heavy machinery, as well as those who want to volunteer. The facility also provides the opportunity for firefighters to learn how to operate heavy machinery, because they have few chances to do so at work.

The VTC comprises a depot for 16 backhoes, dump trucks and other heavy machinery, a training center and a field where disaster sites are simulated. The total area of the center is about 12,900 square meters.

The center plans to build a house in the field to provide a place for training, including work to remove debris from under the floor.

The heavy machinery is lent for free during disasters to member organizations involved in relief efforts in affected areas.

The facility was also developed to help workers learn how to cope with situations in which debris blocks roads during disasters, preventing efforts to swiftly rescue victims.

The value of heavy machinery during disasters was reconsidered after volunteers with specialized knowledge used the machines to repair damaged roads to allow fire engines and other emergency vehicles to smoothly travel in the aftermath of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January last year.

Amid increasingly frequent disasters, the Nippon Foundation Volunteer Center aims to utilize the VTC to increase the number of people capable of operating heavy machinery at disaster sites.

At a ceremony marking the opening of the VCT on March 7, Motoki Yokoo, 23, demonstrated how to operate heavy machinery. He said the facility is a coveted place for practicing how to operate such machinery.

“I want to practice many times here to improve my skills,” said Yokoo, who participated in rescue operations in areas stricken by the Noto quake.

“We will strive to ensure that this facility can help prepare people to swiftly respond to disasters around the country, including in the event of a Nankai Trough megaquake or a major earthquake in the Tokyo metropolitan area,” Nippon Foundation Volunteer Center Chairperson Yasushi Yamawaki said.