The Meteorological Agency has introduced a tsunami rapid warning system to help Okushiri islanders evacuate their homes before tidal waves strike.
Okushiri, a 143-sq.-km island in the Sea of Japan off the Oshima Peninsula in Hokkaido, was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in July 1993 that left 198 residents dead.
The rapid warning system introduced last month is the latest addition to countermeasures put in place since the catastrophe devastated the Aonae district at the island's southern tip, where fire razed 189 houses and inns.