Only several days after we breathed a sigh of relief with the passage of typhoon No. 23 -- which wreaked the worst typhoon damage in 25 years and left 92 persons dead or missing -- the Japanese archipelago was rocked by a series of powerful earthquakes centering on the Chuetsu region of Niigata Prefecture and measuring above 6 (with 7 as maximum) on the Japanese seismic-intensity scale. Twenty-five people were killed and more than 100,000 evacuated. Every possible effort must be made to provide quick relief and assistance to victims.

The quake caused the derailment of a Shinkansen train, the pride of Japan, for the first time in the four decades that the bullet trains have operated. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported, but the Joetsu Shinkansen Line is going to be closed for some time. The restoration of utility services in the region is taking time, too.

Now is an appropriate time for us to reflect on how damage from natural disasters can be kept to a minimum. The number of typhoons that have made landfall in Japan this year has reached an all-time high of 10. Many places have seen landslides, flooding and collapsed breakwaters. If July's torrential rains in Niigata, Fukushima and Fukui are included, the number of dead or missing from rain and windstorm damage exceeds 220 persons. Some of these victims might have been saved if evacuation guidance had been faster.