Fifty volunteer interpreters speaking seven foreign languages took part in a disaster drill for foreign residents Wednesday in Tokyo, helping the roughly 60 participants communicate with their rescuers.
Tokyo has 447 registered translators covering 16 languages who have volunteered to help foreign residents at evacuation shelters in case a major disaster strikes.
The drill scenario started out with a strong earthquake hitting northern Tokyo around 8:55 a.m., destroying much of the capital's critical infrastructure, including power, gas and water lines.