Push-type disaster information delivery app for foreign tourists "Safety tips"
This is an app to automatically provide disaster information in Japan in multiple languages. The information to be provided is as follows:
・Earthquake Early Warnings when seismic intensity reaches 5 or higher
・Tsunami Warnings
・Special Warnings of the Japan Meteorological Agency for heavy rain, storm, snow-storm, heavy snow, high waves and storm surge
The information is available in Japanese, English, traditional and simplified Chinese and Korean.
For more information, visit the website of Japan Tourism Agency.
● “Press release on August 26, 2015: Push-type disaster information delivery app for foreign tourists "Safety tips" upgraded!”
ｅｘ Emergency Preparedness for Americans in Japan
Before an emergency occurs there are a number of things that you can do to prepare:
●Read “Emergencies and Crisis – What the Department of State can and can’t do in a crisis”
●Sign up for the free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) – U.S. citizens living or traveling in Japan are encouraged to register online with the Embassy or the Consulates through the Department of State website. In the event of an emergency, we use the enrollment information to communicate with you. By signing up for the STEP , you will automatically receive our most up-to-date travel and security information.
●Read “Safety Tips for Foreigners” by the Japan Tourism Organization and download their “Safety Tips” app.
●Download the NHK World app which provides Japanese government emergency alerts, including “J-Alerts” in English to your cell phone.
Crisis Information is Practically Everywhere in Japan, “J-Alerts”
During your time in Japan, you may see alerts for events as diverse as heavy rain, excessive heat, landslides, tsunamis, earthquakes and civil protection.
The Japanese government uses a variety of avenues to reach people in affected regions. For example, during a Japanese television program, an alarm may chime, and an alert may scroll across the top of the screen for a minute or so. In some communities, loudspeakers outside may blast warnings as well. These are parts of the Japanese government’s “J-Alert” emergency broadcasting system that sends crisis information to the public. “J-Alert” even pushes messages to radios and cellphones. “J-Alert” can provide early warning emergency alerts on earthquakes predicted in a specific area, sometimes seconds before the earthquake hits. It also provides warnings about other threats such as missile launches.
The Japan Meteorological Agency, a primary source for many of the crisis alerts in Japan, webpage in English. Japan’s Cabinet Secretariat has a portal website with information on civil protection. If you can’t understand Japanese but are hearing or seeing emergency messages, pay attention and ask people around you what it means – it may be very helpful!
Japanese Government–Provided Emergency Information is Available Through Apps, in English
The Japan Tourism Organization has made available an android and iPhone app called “Safety tips” that “pushes” information alerts to users about disasters in multiple languages, including English! For more information about this app, check out the JNTO website and this press release. The NHK World app also provides Japanese government emergency alerts via “Push Notification” service in English. Both of these apps push “J-Alerts” in English to your cell phone.
Personal Preparedness Starts at Home
Once a disaster happens, it’s too late to prepare. Get your “Go Bag” together and work with your family to come up with a plan to communicate and find each other in the case of a crisis. Don’t forget about your pets when making plans! For ideas on how to stock your “Go Bag” or emergency kit, visit FEMA’s website . Tourists should visit the Department of State’s Traveler’s Checklist for ideas on how to have a safe trip.
To learn more about what to do before, during and after an earthquake, see the website of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency.
○US Federal Emergency Management Agency
・When the Earth Shakes (Video)
・The Great ShakeOut (link)
