Japan’s Self-Defense Forces Teaming Up with Local Govts for Possible Nankai Trough Earthquake; Drills Conducted to Drop Relief Supplies

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:59 JST, February 8, 2025

The Self-Defense Forces have made efforts to strengthen cooperation with local governments in preparation for a major earthquake in the Nankai Trough.

About 2,300 communities could be cut off if a Nankai Trough earthquake were to occur — about 100 times the number that were isolated after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake hit on Jan. 1, 2024. To assist as many people as possible, it is important for the SDF and local communities to share information about its emergency measures.

At the former site of Nanki-Shirahama Airport in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, on Jan. 16, an Air Self-Defense Force C-2 transport aircraft flew at an altitude of about 100 meters at a slow speed of about 230 kph.

The aircraft dropped a wooden box, which would be filled with relief supplies and weighed about 100 kilograms, with a parachute attached. About 10 seconds later, the box landed in a grassy field, and SDF members, who were waiting on the ground, loaded the box onto a truck.

The SDF conducted disaster drills at various locations in the Tokai, Kinki, Chugoku and Shikoku regions from Jan. 13 to 17. The drills were based on the premise that a Nankai Trough earthquake had occurred. A Nankai Trough earthquake refers to a seismic event that originates from the Nankai Trough, which extends from off of Shizuoka Prefecture to off of Miyazaki Prefecture.

This was the first time since 2014 that a participating aircraft dropped relief supplies. To prevent items from falling on people or houses, the drill was conducted at the wide-open space of the former airport over two days.

“We will consider dropping relief supplies to protect the lives of disaster victims as an option in an emergency, although for safety reasons, the places where drops can be made are limited,” said Kazunori Noguchi, assistant chief of the Wakayama prefectural government’s disaster prevention division, who observed the drill.

The SDF conducted the drill for dropping relief supplies based on the lessons learned from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, which cut off roads, preventing rescuers and supplies from reaching many isolated communities. Twenty-four communities remained isolated even about a week after the earthquake.

According to a senior Defense Ministry official, as the SDF was able to focus on the Okunoto region, which is located at the tip of the peninsula and suffered the most damage, supplies did not have to be dropped in. Deliveries by foot and SDF helicopters to mountain communities were sufficient.

The government’s Central Disaster Management Council has estimated that a Nankai Trough earthquake could cut off up to 2,300 communities. The SDF’s measures for such a situation include mobilizing about 110,000 personnel and conducting air operations for areas that are cut off.

“There will be some communities where people will have to make do with the dropped relief supplies for a few days,” a senior ministry official said.

The SDF will work with local governments to select locations for supplies to be dropped. It will also decide whether to conduct an operation based on the extent of reported damage or requests from residents.

During the latest drills, the SDF also confirmed the use of amphibious vehicles and drones to transport relief supplies. A seaplane was also used for rescue operations. The drills gave local government officials the opportunity to view the equipment, allowing them to figure out how they could be better incorporated in their disaster prevention plans.

“It’s important for local governments and the SDF to conduct disaster drills together and understand what response measures each can contribute,” said Noboru Yamaguchi, a professor emeritus at the International University of Japan.

Yamaguchi, a former Ground Self-Defense Force lieutenant general who was appointed as a special advisor to the Cabinet on crisis management after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, added that local governments and the SDF should be prepared so that they can communicate with each other in an emergency situation.