Evacuation Drill in Naha Simulates Ballistic Missile Attack
15:09 JST, January 22, 2023
NAHA — An evacuation drill was held Saturday in Naha to prepare residents for a possible attack from a ballistic missile, the second such drill in Okinawa Prefecture following one in Yonaguni in November.
With discussions on strengthening defense capabilities in the Nansei Islands underway, more comprehensive exercises have been conducted in the prefecture in preparation for possible contingencies.
The drill was jointly conducted by the central government, the prefecture and the city.
Shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday, an announcement was made over an official radio system for disaster preparedness in Naha’s Mekaru district urging people to evacuate, whereupon 83 residents who were outside sheltered themselves in the underground parking lot of a nearby building.
The residents sat and crouched down by a wall and covered their heads with their hands as part of the drill until an all-clear announcement that the danger had passed.
Naha city officials confirmed their initial actions before a task force meeting was held at the city hall.
“It is the role of local authorities to raise citizens’ awareness of contingency preparedness,” Naha Mayor Satoru Chinen said after the drill.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
China Firm ‘Developed System to Manipulate Public Opinion’; Leaked Information Describes Hijacking Social Media Accounts (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan, U.S., S. Korea Coast Guards Sign Pledge to Strengthen Cooperation
-
Japan’s Opposition Party CDPJ Sweeps 3 By-Elections in Lower House (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan’s LDP Battles to Avoid ‘Total Defeat’ in By-Elections; Opposition Party Guards against Overconfidence
-
Japan Considering Bid to Join Australia’s Frigate Project; Boost to Domestic Defense Industry Expected
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Weakening Yen Adds Complexity to BOJ’s Rate Hike Decisions; Rising Commodity Prices may Impact ‘Virtuous Cycle’ Efforts
- Japanese Seafood Exports to China Sink 57% in FY23; U.S. Becomes Largest Seafood Export Destination
- 70% of Japan Companies to Raise Pay Scales in FY 2024
- Minutes Show Policymaker Wants BOJ to Consider Further Rate Hikes Further
- 48.6% of Global Patent Applications Related to All-Solid-State Batteries Came from Japanese Firms; Panasonic Tops List