No one left behind: Japan needs to work on its multicultural disaster response

Japan is home to over 3 million foreigners, the highest number ever. Foreign tourists also continue to increase, with last year’s arrivals having almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

As Japan becomes a more multicultural and diverse society the need for inclusive disaster preparedness and responses also grows — as highlighted by the Noto Peninsula earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day. Yet, nationwide, there is still relatively little awareness about the risks foreigners face in times of disaster.

Ishikawa — the prefecture hardest hit by the January quake — is home to 16,598 foreigners, with technical trainees from other Asian countries making up the largest part of this group. Just like their Japanese neighbors, foreign residents may need to stay in emergency shelters, move into temporary housing and prepare for future natural hazards. Therefore, it is crucial to acknowledge these individuals as an integral part of the community.

However, the general expectation still seems to be that foreigners can simply return to their home countries after large-scale disasters. This oversimplification neglects the reality that many of them have built lives, and have families and careers, in Japan. Moreover, many have made substantial investments to move, as is often the case with technical trainees and students.

For a long time, the specific needs of foreigners and other minority groups were not really reflected in disaster preparedness and recovery efforts. In 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake devastated Kobe. At the time of the disaster, memories of the massacre of Korean residents in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake due to false rumors about them poisoning wells fueled fear among the foreign population, and many refrained from reaching out for help.

However, soon after the 1995 quake, support groups and volunteers began disseminating emergency information and supplies to foreigners, who otherwise would have had trouble navigating the complex scenario.

The aftermath of the Kobe earthquake not only marked the birth of volunteerism in Japan, but paved the way for nonprofit organizations and projects specifically dedicated to supporting foreigners. These include the Kobe-based Takatori Community Center and the multilingual community broadcasting station FM WaiWai, which played pivotal roles in shaping the current landscape of multicultural disaster preparedness in Japan.

However, recent events indicate that there is still work to be done. False rumors spread on social media in January about "foreign burglar groups" targeting impacted communities in Ishikawa and even of foreigners poisoning the water — echoing prejudices and fears from a century ago. This time, however, news outlets were quick to discredit these discriminatory, and fake, reports.

In this sense, media outlets, particularly TV broadcasters, have emerged as crucial players in providing clear and reliable information and countering misinformation during disasters. A noteworthy example is the clear and concise messaging delivered by NHK announcer Izumi Yamauchi to those in the quake-affected area on New Year's Day. In simple Japanese, she conveyed the imminent tsunami threat, emphasizing the need for immediate evacuation: “There is a tsunami coming. You need to run. Now! If you can’t move to higher ground, go to the highest floor of your building,” she repeated over and over again. Notably, this information was broadcast in several languages, including English, Chinese and Portuguese.

Disaster mitigation experts point out that one of the significant challenges for foreigners in these situations remains poor access to trustworthy information. For example, Tomomi Katsuya, secretary general of the Kumamoto International Foundation, which supported foreigners after the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, has stressed the importance of conveying information to people with diverse cultural backgrounds, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their origin, is well-informed and prepared.

In fact, what might be common knowledge for Japanese citizens may not be evident to those who have grown up elsewhere. For instance, most Japanese know that emergency shelters will be set up, and water and food will be distributed free of charge in a disaster situation. However, such a response, as well as suggested behaviors during a disaster, differ from country to country.

Whereas in Japan people are advised to take shelter indoors beneath tables or other sturdy objects and wait until the shaking stops before evacuating buildings, in Indonesia most people would leave a building as fast as possible in the event of an earthquake. Furthermore, migrants from countries affected by fewer or different natural hazards compared with Japan, such as Germany or France, may not know that in the event of an earthquake in coastal areas, they should evacuate to higher ground, or that tsunamis can continue for several hours.

In fact, such stories also emerged in the aftermath of the Noto quake. Mobile phone footage shows Indonesian workers debating where to run before deciding to flee, barefoot, away from the sea once the tsunami evacuation order was issued.

Especially residents who have not lived in Japan for a long time may need specific advice on what is happening and the next steps to take. Therefore, employers and program advisers should invest in multicultural disaster education early on. Among the most important lessons coming out of past emergencies is the difficulty to suddenly change or adapt after a disaster has occurred. To respond properly under extreme circumstances, awareness and preparedness must be promoted in “normal” times.

Recognizing these challenges, municipalities across Japan have started programs to share disaster preparedness information not only aimed at foreigners but also involving them. For example, Sendai Tourism, Convention and International Association (SenTIA) has joined existing programs aimed at fostering disaster prevention leaders among foreign residents, as well as multilingual disaster support volunteers. These initiatives engage both foreign and Japanese residents in workshops, encouraging mutual understanding and collaboration.

However, reaching people who are not already engaged or who do not possess a high level of risk awareness remains a persistent issue. SenTIA emphasizes the need to identify key people within communities who can act as multipliers, reaching out to those who might otherwise be left behind. The success of these projects lies in their ability to integrate diverse perspectives, acknowledge foreigners’ valuable contributions and facilitate effective emergency responses.

I agree with Katsuya's point, drawing on experiences from the Kumamoto earthquake, that the goal is not to give foreigners preferential treatment during emergencies — when everyone is struggling — but to ensure that they have equal chances of survival and recovery. “After all, it is in crisis situations that the true nature of a society is clearest," Katsuya notes.

With large-scale earthquakes predicted to occur in the future in many regions across Japan — including in Tokyo and the Nankai Trough (a structural depression between two tectonic plates that run alongside the west of the country) — Japanese and foreign residents need to work together to ensure everyone’s needs are met.

Lessons learned from past disasters underscore the importance of proactively increasing preventative education and recognizing that inclusivity is not just a virtue, but the pillar of a strong society — including, if not especially, in the most challenging circumstances.