Marking 22 years since the Great Hanshin Earthquake on Tuesday, property management firm Mori Building Co. held an annual disaster drill at its major complexes in Tokyo which for the first time targeted foreign residents and tourists.
As the nation gears up to host an increasing number of overseas visitors — the government is targeting 40 million a year by the time the Tokyo Olympics are held in 2020 — the drill was conducted in Japanese, English and Chinese and saw some 1,300 Mori Building employees participate.
"A large portion of shoppers and residents are foreigners, and there are also many offices of foreign firms" in the Roppongi Hills complex, said Mori Building spokeswoman Mayumi Purro. About 40 percent of residents living in properties leased by the company are non-Japanese.