As Sept. 1, annual disaster drill day and the 89th anniversary of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, nears, it is appropriate to think about ways to better cope with future earthquakes that may directly hit Tokyo.
It is expected that major earthquakes with a magnitude-7 will take place close to or beneath the nation's capital. A government estimate shows that quakes expected to happen north of Tokyo Bay, for example, will cause some 11,000 deaths and cost up to ¥112 trillion in economic damage.
It is important that the government and enterprises have adequate preparedness plans in effects so that they can continue functioning even if Tokyo is hit by major quakes.