Tag - disaster-preparedness

 
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December 21, 2024
 

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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

A Meteorological Agency official speaks during a news conference held in Tokyo in August to announce the lifting of the government's emergency alert system for a megaquake that may occur in the Nankai Trough.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2024
Japan improves public relations for Nankai Trough megaquake alert
The first such alert, issued in August, caused confusion and unrest as the system was not widely recognized.
New unmanned water-cannon robots are set to be deployed to emergency fire assistance teams nationwide.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2024
Emergency teams to be equipped with unmanned water-cannon robots
The robots, remotely operated, can navigate fire sites even during earthquakes or tsunami warnings.
Evacuees from an area flooded by the Kinugawa river, in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, in 2015
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2024
Japan updates disaster shelter guidelines
The central government on Friday updated its guidelines for disaster shelter operations, with the update calling for ensuring there is one toilet for every 20 people, among other measures.
Ten percent of municipalities said they did not know details of the megaquake warning system or how to respond to the alert, and 2.8% said they did not even know its name.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 27, 2024
Many municipalities in Japan lack understanding of megaquake advisory system
A Cabinet Office survey found that 12.8% of municipalities were not aware of what steps they should take when a megaquake advisory is issued.
Cardboard beds at a designated evacuation shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 31, following the Noto earthquake
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2024
Citing Noto quake, experts urge Japan to bolster disaster shelters
Key recommendations from a government task force include the provision of cardboard beds and adequate cooking and toilet facilities.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a G20 summit meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2024
Ishiba calls for disaster reduction efforts at G20
Ishiba also said there is no time to lose to deal with large-scale natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons.
The streets of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in October show that the city is still struggling from the aftermath of the Jan. 1 earthquake and heavy rain in September.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Nov 15, 2024
Japan faces urgent need to boost state finances for emergencies
If a major earthquake were to strike directly beneath Tokyo, the projected damage would total around ¥107.5 trillion.
Workers repair a damaged road on Jan. 7 in the aftermath of an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2024
New minister promises ample budget for disaster resilience
"Improving the country's resilience is an extremely important task," Hiromasa Nakano said in an interview.
In 2017, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government became the first among Japan's local authorities to issue green bonds.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Nov 12, 2024
More municipalities tap green bonds as demand makes rates favorable
Green bond issuance by local government authorities in Japan has risen from ¥149.3 billion in 2022 to ¥443.1 billion in 2023.
An elderly woman lies on the floor of a classroom at an elementary school in Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, in March 2011 following the Great East Japan Earthquake earlier that month.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2024
Tokyo government looks to ensure everyone has a bed at evacuation centers
The capital hopes to improve living conditions at evacuation centers and boost its disaster response capability.
The seaside town of Shika on the Noto Peninsula, where the local power provider, Hokuriku Electric, has been fighting for a decade to restart a nuclear power plant in the town’s center.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2024
Can quake-prone Japan ever embrace nuclear energy again?
The government, its makeup in flux after the LDP lost seats this week, will soon need to make decisions that will shape Japan's future nuclear policy.
Water supply support is provided in January in areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture, where residents are facing water outages.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2024
Seismic upgrading done for only 14.6% of key facility water pipelines
The findings suggest there are challenges to ensuring a stable water supply in the event of a disaster.
Residents walk past wreckage following deadly floods in Sedavi, south of Valencia, eastern Spain, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Oct 31, 2024
Spain's warning system under scrutiny as flood toll rises
Torrential rains that began at the start of the week sparked flooding that has left at least 95 people dead.
The number of public elementary and junior high school buildings without quake-resistance in Japan totaled 135 as of April 1, down by 60 from a year before.
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2024
Only 135 of Japan's public schools not quake-resistant
By prefecture, Ehime saw the lowest proportion of quake-resistant school buildings, at 98.0%.
A bridge linking Izushima and the Oshika Peninsula in Miyagi Prefecture is scheduled to open in December.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 30, 2024
Onagawa nuclear plant's restart sparks concerns over evacuation routes
Residents, particularly those of islands close to the newly restarted plant, lament the limited options for escaping a disaster.
Rescuers take part in a drill held at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2024
Large-scale drill held at Haneda Airport
More than 1,000 participants practiced procedures for putting out fires and rescuing people involved in an accident.
Vending machine enthusiast Kenzaburo Ishida
JAPAN / Society
Oct 24, 2024
Useful even in disasters: Japan's ever-evolving vending machines
Vending machine enthusiast Kenzaburo Ishida breaks down their unique appeal, evolution and crucial role in times of disaster.
The vast space and massive pillars of the Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel dwarf visitors.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 24, 2024
Massive underground infrastructure protects the Tokyo metropolitan area from floods
The Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel is a unique feat of engineering built to keep homes and businesses safe and dry.
Plaintiffs in a damages lawsuit over the 2014 eruption of Mount Ontake enter the Tokyo High Court in the capital's Kasumigaseki district on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 21, 2024
Tokyo High Court rejects damages claim over Ontake eruption deaths
The presiding judge overturned a lower court's finding that Meteorological Agency officials violated their duty of care in the 2014 disaster.
A farmer salvages some of the harvest from a flooded rice field near Hanoi on Sept. 24
ENVIRONMENT
Oct 16, 2024
AI enhances flood warnings but cannot fully erase risk of disaster
One issue is that the effectiveness of an artificial intelligence model is only as good as the information it is fed.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
A year after going private, structural reforms bearing fruit for Toshiba
Toshiba's Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Koji Ikeya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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