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Japan is an earthquake-prone country. Be prepared and don't panic when it happens!
Check your emergency survival kit regularly to see if the food is outdated or any items are missing so that the kit is usable when it's needed. |
| Pack the following emergency items in a backpack or a bag and keep it in a place where all family members can easily locate it: |
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| Flashlight |
Batteries |
Portable radio |
Lighter
Matches |
Candles |
Nonperishable food
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| Thick cotton gloves |
Waterproof tarpaulin |
Extra clothes |
Pens and notepad |
First-aid kit |
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| Bankbooks |
Passport |
Alien registration card |
Cash |
Nonprescription medicines |
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You also need to keep drinking water, approximately 2 to 3 liters per person per day.
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| *Do not leave objects near doors, hallways, and/or staircases. | *Do not put anything heavy or breakable on the top of furniture. |
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| *Secure furniture to prevent it from falling. It is also recommendable to secure TVs, personal computers and stereo units. | *If you put something on the top of furniture, make sure it stands securely. In addition, place some non-slip material under it to prevent it from falling off the furniture. |
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| *Unplug electrical appliances after use. | *Use kerosene/gas stoves and heaters with an auto-shutdown function that reacts to earthquakes and falls. |
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| *Never use anything other than kerosene for kerosene stoves/heaters. | *Always keep enough space between a fire source, such as a cooking stove, and furniture. |
| *Check the roof of your house to see if any tiles are loose or if the antennas are unstable. |
| *If your house uses propane gas, secure the gas tank with chains. |
| *Make sure flowerpots or any other objects on a balcony/veranda can't fall down. |
| Each community has designated evacuation area to be established in case of major earthquakes. Identify and remember where your evacuation area is located. If the earthquake happens while you are at work, you may have to walk all the way home. It is therefore important to plan in advance a walking route to your home, otherwise you may find it very difficult to return home in such emergency situations. Make sure to keep in mind several locations of designated "return-home aid stations," which will be established along major roads in case of a major earthquake to help people return home by providing water, restrooms, and necessary information.
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| *Do not move until the main quake ceases. |
| Protect yourself by sheltering under a table. If there is no place to hide, protect your head with a pillow or a cushion. |
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| *Turn off all heat sources immediately. |
| After the main shock calms down, immediately turn off the gas appliances as well as heating appliances. Anything that could cause a fire should be turned off. |
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| *Secure a way to evacuate the premises. |
| Open the doors to rooms and the entrance of the house. Always wear shoes even when inside a house to avoid injury – there could be pieces of broken glass or other dangerous objects on the floor. |
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| *Do not become panicked by aftershocks. |
| It is possible that small shakes may occur following the main quake. Remember to stay calm even when you feel the aftershocks. |
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| *Get ready to evacuate. |
| Before you leave the house, make sure you shut off the gas supply valve as well as the circuit breaker. If you are in a building, always use the stairs to evacuate. You should not use elevators. |
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| *Evacuate on foot. |
| You should always walk when you evacuate. Never use cars, motorcycles or bicycles. Do not try to take more than you need for emergency survival. |
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The Earthquake Early Warning or Kinkyu Jishin Sokuho is issued by The Japan Meteorological Agency, immediately after it detects the occurrence of earthquakes with a seismic intensity of 5 lower and over. Ensure your safety as soon as you see or hear the warning on TV or radio.
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| *In a residential area |
| Stay away from gates and concrete block walls if you are in a residential area at the time of an earthquake. |
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*In the city center:
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| Protect your head with your bag or a similar object from possible falling objects such as broken windows or signboards. Find an open area or a park to which you should evacuate. |
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| *Do not approach vending machines, utility poles or downed power lines. |
| You should stay away from vending machines, utility poles and downed power lines. |
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| *Do not go near cliffs or riverbanks. |
| You should stay away from cliffs and riverbanks since they could collapse at any moment. |
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| *In a high-rise building: |
| Evacuate from the building by using the stairs. You should never use elevators. |
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| *In an underground mall: |
| Protect your head with your bags or clothes. After the main shock ceases, head toward an exit on the ground level. Since many people may rush to and crowd the exit, you should be careful to avoid falling and being trampled by others. |
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| *On an elevator: |
| If the elevator is equipped with an earthquake sensor, it will stop automatically at the nearest floor when the quake occurs. You should get off the elevator immediately and use the stairs to evacuate. If the elevator is not equipped with this sensor, it won't stop by itself; you should push every floor button and get off at any floor it first stops at and then use a staircase to evacuate. If the door doesn't open, use the emergency feature available in the elevator such as a phone, button or bell to inform someone outside that you are trapped. Do not try to force the door to open from inside until the rescue service arrives. |
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| *On a train |
| If you are standing on a train, grab a strap or bar to prevent yourself from falling. After the train stops, you should stay calm and wait for instructions from the conductor; without instructions, do not attempt to get out of the train by unlocking the emergency door lock or by jumping out from the window. |
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| *Slow down, stop the car and turn off the engine. |
| Holding the steering wheel firmly, slow down and stop the car on the left side of the road and turn off the engine. |
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| *Wait in the car and listen to the radio until the quake ceases. |
| You should stay in the car and listen to the radio for earthquake information until the quake ceases. |
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| *Follow the directions given by the police. |
| If you see the traffic being controlled by the police, follow their directions. |
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| *Leave the key in the car and the doors unlocked |
| When you leave the car to evacuate on foot, leave the key in the car and the doors unlocked. |
| *Collect accurate information. |
Try to collect accurate information by yourself until the confusion calms down. Listen to the news on TV and radio to stay correctly informed. After a major earthquake, it is possible to be misinformed owing to rumors and hearsay.
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| *It is important to evacuate to a designated shelter. |
It is known that people who use their car as a shelter after a disaster may suffer from a condition known as economy-class syndrome (deep-vein thrombosis). It is important to evacuate to a designated shelter according to the local authority's directions.
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| *Use an aid station to return home. |
If a major earthquake happens while you are away from home, you may have to walk to return home, as public transport such as trains or buses may not be available. To assist those who need to walk home during such time, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has designated 16 major roads and existing public high schools or gas stations to provide water, restrooms and necessary information as "aid routes" and "aid stations," respectively.
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| *Emergency Message Dial |
The "Emergency Message Dial" service allows a person in an earthquake-damaged area to record his/her own message, which can be retrieved by others who wish to know the whereabouts of that person. This is a temporary service and NTT will announce the beginning of the service on TV and radio.
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