Local governments are enhancing their programs to help foreign nationals, whether they're residents or travelers, to prepare for natural disasters and other emergencies.

People from abroad, in the same way as elderly Japanese citizens, are designated as needing assistance in emergencies because of the possible language barrier and unfamiliarity with geography.

Emergency preparedness for such people is more important than ever because a record 2.12 million foreign nationals were residents in Japan at the end of 2014, while the number of tourists from abroad topped 19 million last year, coming just shy of the government's goal for 2020.