This makes no sense unless the cost of an injury or death is so high (from downtime costs to legal liabilities) that you'd be willing to worry (and spend) a lot on safety to avoid it. Which is the same thing as saying 安全第一. And this is consistent with your statements that factories in the US are safer than in Japan (which I'd be willing to believe), simply from the fact that legal liabilities from accidental injury or death are probably way higher in the US than in Japan.

In the case of the JMA, they could be all cavalier about it and it turns out to be a catastrophe. They'd be in way more hot water than if they listened to you and the typhoon turned out to be a damp squib.