PM Kishida participates in disaster preparedness drill

The Yomiuri Shimbun

November 8, 2021

YOKOHAMA — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida participated in a joint training drill held Sunday by nine prefectures and cities to rehearse their emergency response in the event of a powerful earthquake in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

About 750 people from 90 organizations participated in the drill, which was conducted in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai district to simulate a magnitude 8.1 temblor in the waters near Sagami Bay, registering the maximum of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in the city.

Representatives from the Self-Defense Forces, local fire departments, and others practiced fire fighting maneuvers, evacuation shelter management, and rescuing victims from collapsed buildings.

“The preparation of each and every citizen is important to overcome a disaster,” said Kishida. “The government will also take all possible measures to deal with disasters.”