Tokyo firefighters conducted disaster drills and performed traditional acrobatics on ladders Sunday in a ceremony in Koto Ward to mark the beginning of the new year.
About 2,500 firefighters took part in the Tokyo Fire Department's ceremony, which saw 140 fire trucks mobilized to cover a mock fire in a building with various businesses and a rescue mission at a building destroyed by an imaginary earthquake.
The show also featured acrobatic performances by firefighters on ladders, a traditional New Year's event held since the Edo Period, between the 17th and 19th centuries. The daring stunts drew cheers from the crowd.
Firefighters also participated in a drill dealing with toxic agents released during an accident, donning bulbous protection gear like space suits.
In a re-enactment of a building fire, the fire department used a helicopter to transfer rescue staff to the site and fire-truck ladders to rescue occupants on the upper levels.
The drills were held in the wake of a major fire that broke out in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district in September that left 44 people in a small office building dead. The number of casualties was the most since the Tokyo Fire Department was formed in 1948.
At the ceremony, department chief Tetsuya Sugimura said Tokyo firefighters will conduct more effective inspections to prevent a recurrence of such fires. and also promote legal revisions and other necessary measures.