Traffic on Major Tokyo Roads to Be Restricted for Disaster Drill on Wed.

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Ring Road No. 7, Tokyo, Japan.

Traffic will be restricted on Tokyo roads on Wednesday as the Metropolitan Police Department conducts a large-scale disaster drill in preparation for an earthquake in the city. The department has urged commuters to take a detour to avoid traffic jams, which are expected mainly on major roads.

On Ring Road No. 7, inbound traffic to central Tokyo will be blocked at 21 major intersections for about 10 minutes at 10:15 a.m. A total of 68 intersections on national highways including Route 20 and Route 246 will also be blocked at around the same time.

Details about the restrictions are available on the MPD’s website.

The drill was initially scheduled for Sept. 1 to coincide with Disaster Prevention Day but was postponed due to Typhoon Shanshan.