We’re fast approaching a grim centennial.
It was 99 years ago today that the 関東大震災 (Kantō dai-shinsai, the Great Kanto Earthquake) struck the region of Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture. Its magnitude was estimated to be 7.9, and more than 105,000 people lost their lives.
Since 1960, Sept. 1 has been designated as 防災の日 (bōsai no hi, Disaster Prevention Day) to remind the Japanese to be prepared for emergencies. With a 70% possibility of a massive earthquake hitting Tokyo within the next 30 years, many organizations and schools across the country will conduct evacuation drills.
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