Initiatives for Emergency Response and BCP

INPEX has established emergency response procedures and a BCP to address all types of emergencies. As an infrastructure company responsible for ensuring the continued supply of oil and natural gas even during crisis situations, we are fully prepared to fulfill our duties.

Emergency Response

We are preparing emergency response plans for incidents such as fires, explosions, and oil spills, with consideration given to recent trends such as geopolitical risks, infectious diseases, and natural disasters. We focus on strengthening our response capabilities through drills and continually work to enhance and improve security management to ensure the safety of employees traveling or stationed overseas.

We have established an emergency response system that corresponds to the level of crisis. In the event of the highest-level emergency, a Corporate Crisis Management Team will be set up, with the Representative Director, President & CEO serving as the Exective Crisis Management Director (ECMD). This system ensures company-wide information sharing and formulates and implements company-wide response measures. During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020, we set up the Corporate Crisis Management Team to establish an information-sharing framework and implement comprehensive measures throughout the company.

Additionally, our corporate divisions, domestic and international entities, and operational sites have developed systems to respond to emergencies. We have also established collaborative frameworks with external response organizations to prepare for any potential emergencies. Our operational organizations, both in Japan and abroad, conduct emergency response drills outlined in annual plans, including those addressing MAE (Major Accident Events) identified through risk assessments. These drills are carried out either independently or in coordination with the head office. Emergency response documents are regularly verified and updated, along with efforts to maintain and upgrade necessary facilities and supplies. Furthermore, we focus on enhancing coordination among organizations during emergencies and fostering familiarity with inter-organizational collaboration. For initiatives to prevent accidents, please refer to Safety.

BCP

Large-scale Natural Disaster Countermeasures

We assess the risk of natural disasters at our business sites and implement appropriate prevention and mitigation measures for each natural disaster, such as earthquakes, heavy rainfall, and flooding. In addition, we have prepared a BCP to protect lives in unexpected events and quickly restore business operations.

We have developed a BCP and an initial response manual tailored for our head office area. These protocols are in place in the event of an earthquake centered directly under the Tokyo metropolitan area, based on the damage assumptions made by the National Disaster Management Council of the Cabinet Office of Japan. Our policy on business continuity clearly expresses Group-wide values, prioritizing the maintenance of stable energy supply while ensuring human safety and environmental preservation. The BCP and other manuals stipulate not only for setting up temporary offices, but also for guiding employee responses in the event of an earthquake occurring during a holiday or at night, as well as procedures for returning home from the office. 

Response to the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake

The Noto Peninsula Earthquake of January 1, 2024, caused shaking in Joetsu City which measured 5 upper on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. Although the Naoetsu LNG Terminal stopped operating due to this earthquake, domestic natural gas, natural gas in pipelines, and natural gas loaned to us by other companies enabled us to maintain a stable supply of natural gas for our customers. Once the tsunami warnings and advisories were lifted, we rapidly confirmed safety conditions and resumed supplying gas from the terminal in less than a day. The earthquake was an unusually large one for an inland crustal earthquake in Japan, but all employees worked with safety as their highest priority. We were able to resume supplying gas extremely quickly, with no injuries, living up to our mission of stable energy supply.

Furthermore, to assist the people affected by the disaster and to provide support in disaster-stricken areas, we donated 30 million yen and 5,000 liters of oil through The Nippon Foundation. Our employee dormitories in Kashiwazaki City and Joetsu City welcomed members of the local community who evacuated due to the tsunami warnings, and in Joetsu City, we also provided evacuees with emergency food supplies.

Responses to Infectious Diseases and Epidemic Risk Management

We have long had in place an infection prevention manual for implementation against pandemics of any infectious disease. We have also developed a BCP for handling related crises during the pandemic. This commitment to pandemic preparedness is an essential aspect of fulfilling our responsibility as an infrastructure company, ensuring the continuous supply of oil and gas even during crisis situations.