NEWSWORTHY
Japan's vaunted quake and missile alert system runs up against limits
On Jan. 5, as Tokyo commuters were struggling back to work after the long New Year's break, blaring sirens from every phone pierced the sleepy atmosphere: "strong" earthquake coming. The message delivered via the country's alert system, part of its much-hyped J-Alert mechanism, warned of ...
Japanese disaster agency to urge use of multiple J-Alert warning channels
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency plans to ask municipalities this month to adopt at least two methods for transmitting emergency messages from the J-Alert warning system, sources said Thursday. As of August, 14 percent of the municipalities in Japan were using only one communication ...
Tokyo's first ballistic missile drill gets mixed reaction
In a first for Tokyo, a disaster drill based on a ballistic missile attack was held Monday in response to the nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. The drill took place in several locations in Bunkyo Ward near Tokyo Dome, including the Tokyo Dome ...
The public broadcaster erroneously issues an online bulletin warning of a North Korean missile launch, a mistake that comes days after Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency sent out a similar false alert.
Fukuoka conducts J-Alert drill to brace for North Korean missile launch
Fukuoka on Friday conducted a drill for the J-Alert system to prepare for the possibility of a North Korean ballistic missile launch, sending warnings to mobile phones and bringing the city's trains to a temporary halt. The drill for the satellite-based J-Alert system was organized ...
Government to adopt new system to alert fishing vessels of missile launches
In light of North Korea's repeated missile tests, the Fisheries Agency plans to install a new automated alert system that directly notifies fishing vessels of missile launches, agency officials said Friday. The Cabinet Secretariat usually informs the agency about North Korean missile launches by email, ...
Residents unsure how to react as North Korean missile flies over Japan
North Korea's firing of a missile over northern Japan on Tuesday heightened concerns among citizens, triggering alerts in communities and prompting some to run for cover. "The alert told me to evacuate, but I couldn't think of any building in the town that could withstand ...
Disaster agency urges municipalities to upgrade J-Alert receivers
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency is telling municipalities across the country to install enhanced receivers for the J-Alert warning system by the end of March 2019, it was learned Monday. The new receivers can relay information from the central government much faster than the ...
Japan begins running public service announcements on missile attacks
The government began broadcasting a public service announcement Friday suggesting how civilians should protect themselves in the event of a missile attack. The 30-second broadcast, which will be aired by 43 main and local television stations across the country through July 6, says the public ...
Kansai gropes for missile response as Korean war hype builds
With North Korea test-launching missiles on a regular basis toward Japan, towns, cities and prefectures are getting more serious about how best to respond if and when one approaches. Parts of the Kansai region along the Sea of Japan coast appear to lie within range ...
90% of train operators to halt services in event of North Korean missile: survey
While the move would freeze the country’s public transport system, experts called it necessary to minimize potential damage from an attack.
Tokyo Metro won't halt service over North Korean missiles without government alert
Tokyo Metro said Tuesday it has decided not to halt train services in response to media reports of ballistic missile launches by North Korea, just days after the subway operator was criticized for doing so. The company, part of Tokyo's subway system, stopped all of ...
