Politics & Government

150,000 Relief Personnel Eyed for Possible Northern Japan Quake

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo

Jiji Press

9:30 JST, May 25, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A Japanese government panel on Tuesday adopted emergency measures to be taken in the event of a possible major earthquake off the Pacific coast between Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.

The measures, decided at a board meeting of the Central Disaster Management Council, include the deployment of up to 150,000 police officers, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces members in total to the affected areas.

The measures are based on the latest estimate that up to 199,000 people could die in the possible earthquake.

They will be activated if an earthquake registers upper 6, the second-highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, or higher in Hokkaido, or lower 6 or higher in Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, triggering a major tsunami warning for seven Pacific coastal prefectures including the four and Chiba.

The measures call for securing routes for the transport of relief supplies, conducting rescue operations and providing medical aid and fuel.