Business Jul 18, 2021
High-tech startups breaking into Japan's disaster prevention field
by Takehiro Higashi
Water purification devices and emergency supplies are being developed through experience of natural disasters.
Commentary / Japan Mar 17, 2020
Taking stock of disaster losses five years after the Sendai world conference
by Mami Mizutori
The "decade of action" starting this year will reveal how successful or not the Sendai Framework has been in reducing disaster losses.
Digital | ON: TECH Sep 16, 2018
Dealing with disaster in Japan
by Chiho Komoriya
It's been a tough month for Japan. First the biggest typhoon in 25 years blew through the western region, then a major earthquake in Hokkaido swiftly followed. Both wreaked havoc and recovery is still in process. On Tech takes a look at apps offering ...
Commentary / Japan Jul 2, 2018
What was learned from the Osaka earthquake?
by James D. Goltz
Action can and should be taken to reduce hazards posed by earthquakes.
How-tos | HOME TRUTHS Apr 2, 2017
Temporary disaster housing has an unforeseen permanence
by Philip Brasor and Masako Tsubuku
The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake left 110,000 people in three prefectures without shelter. Most of these people moved into emergency evacuation centers while the authorities prepared temporary housing for them. About 53,000 prefabricated housing units, called kasetsu, were built in accordance with a national ...
Reference | EXPLAINER Dec 21, 2015
Joso disaster prompts ministry rethink of flood control, prediction policies
by Tomoko Otake
On Dec. 11, the land ministry released a new policy vision for dealing with floods in response to September's typhoon-triggered breach of the Kinugawa River, which inundated residential areas of Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, stranding thousands for hours, and some for days. The policy vision calls ...
National Oct 15, 2014
Hyogo group issues multilingual disaster preparation guidebook
The Hyogo International Association in Hyogo Prefecture has created a disaster preparation guidebook in nine languages, including Vietnamese and Spanish, for families that can't speak Japanese. The guidebook provides explanations of eight kinds of natural disasters common in Japan, including mudslides, and Japanese terms related ...
National Oct 10, 2014
Mount Ontake eruption sparks review of volcano disaster guidelines
Japan's volcano warning guidelines will be reviewed to include hikers and tourists after the deadliest eruption in decades reveals major shortcomings.
National Aug 26, 2014
Disaster risk discussed at conference organized by Harvard students
by Kazuaki Nagata
The lesson to be learned from devastating natural disasters is how important it is to prepare for them before they happen, experts at a panel discussion organized by the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) stressed Tuesday. Always a hot topic after the ...
National Jul 9, 2014
An updated tsunami evacuation map has been released by officials in the disaster-hit town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, and includes warnings and important safety tips. The map, available on the town's official website, was revised based on lessons learned from the March 2011 earthquake and ...
National Mar 14, 2014
An illustrated book created by a nonprofit organization in Aichi Prefecture to inform children how to protect themselves in an earthquake is winning wide-ranging praise. The NPO Kasumin, based in the city of Kasugai, issued "Jishin ga Kitara — Bosai-ehon" ("When a Quake Hits — ...
National Jan 17, 2014
Disaster plan to swiftly evacuate socially vulnerable citizens revised
The government's disaster prevention panel Friday revised its basic preparedness plan in hopes of ensuring that the elderly and other vulnerable people can evacuate quickly and smoothly, drawing from lessons from the March 2011 disasters. Under the revised plan, the government will put stronger measures ...