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The Noto Peninsula Earthquake occurred in January, and a special advisory concerning a possible Nankai Trough earthquake was issued in August for the first time. It is hoped that the threat of a mega earthquake will be perceived as a reality and more focus will be put on disaster drills than in usual years.
A major earthquake could occur suddenly anywhere on the Japanese archipelago. The earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day caused serious damage, and the false impression that areas on the Sea of Japan side are less prone to earthquakes has been dispelled.
On the other hand, the special advisory — which is officially called Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information with a key phrase of “Megathrust Earthquake Attention” — has raised the difficult question of how local governments and residents should respond if they are informed in advance that the risk of a major earthquake has increased.
Some local governments closed beaches and canceled fireworks events, as the advisory was issued during the summer vacation period. Many local governments were perplexed about how to respond to the advisory, which had been issued for the first time. They should consider disaster measures during normal times, in preparation for the issuance of similar advisories in the future.
It is hardly appropriate to uniformly restrict daily activities simply because an advisory is issued. If local governments take steps, such as postponing events, based on their situation, they should not consider such steps to have been a waste even when a major earthquake does not occur. They may be able to utilize that experience in the future.
It is hard to say that the alert system concerning a Nankai Trough earthquake is sufficiently known. The central government is urged to examine the issuance of the recent advisory and consider how to make announcements in an easy-to-understand manner.
Two years ago, it was decided that an advisory — similar to one for a possible Nankai Trough earthquake — will be issued to warn against subsequent quakes off the coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku areas if a magnitude 7 or greater quake strikes along the Japan Trench or the Chishima Trench off the coast from the Tohoku region to Hokkaido.
Magnitude 7-class earthquakes are not rare in these regions, and an advisory is anticipated to be issued about once every two years. An advisory could come at any time. Specific responses to an earthquake occurring in these regions, in addition to a Nankai Trough quake, must be prepared.
Besides earthquakes, the risk of disasters caused by combined events such as extreme summer heat, torrential rains and typhoons has increased in recent years. The provision of information on disaster preparedness and weather has expanded every year, but this has also created a problem of information overload, causing the residents and local governments that receive the information to be unable to digest it fully.
There are terms such as “advisory,” “warning” and “special warning” for each type of disaster, such as floods, landslides and storm surges. However, the use of different terminology has reportedly made the information difficult to understand, causing it to be ill received. The Japan Meteorological Agency plans to standardize the terminology and presentations and organize them into a system that can be understood immediately.
Both the senders and receivers of information must strive to ensure that the information is correctly understood, so that appropriate action is taken.
