Indonesia to develop earthquake early warning system with Japan’s help

Jakarta – The Indonesian government plans to develop an earthquake early warning system in an effort to reduce damage from temblors that frequently hit the Southeast Asian nation.

Receiving support from Japan, which has already introduced such a system, Indonesia plans to conduct trial runs for the envisioned system in Jakarta and some other regions by 2030, aiming to roll it out nationwide in the future.

Like Japan, Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, so the island country is prone to earthquakes, and damage tends to be severe due to low quake resistance of buildings. More than 140 people were killed in a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck off the island of Flores in the province of East Nusa Tenggara in mid-August.

A Japan-Indonesia joint team set up partly using Tokyo’s official development assistance program launched research in three provinces in the western part of Java Island, including the Jakarta capital region, in 2025 under a five-year test project.

It aims to develop low-cost earthquake observation equipment and a system that automatically halts factories and train operations simultaneously with earthquake detection.

The team will also comprehensively consider responses from the occurrence of earthquakes to evacuation, including the compilation of evacuation guidelines tailored to the characteristics of Indonesian buildings and lifestyles in the country.

In addition to radio communication, mosques will be utilized to inform residents of earthquake early warnings.

Specifically, quake warnings will be issued through loudspeakers at mosques used for playing the Adhan call to announce the start of Muslim prayers. Muslims account for some 90% of Indonesia’s population.

Dr. Andi Eka Sakya, senior researcher at the Indonesian government-affiliated National Research and Innovation Agency and the Indonesian head of the joint research team, was visiting Japan when a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28.

Noting that there was no panic after measures people should take to ensure their safety were shown on television following an earthquake early warning, he said, “This is the one that we actually would like to replicate.”

Once Indonesia’s earthquake early warning system is realized, Japan would consider the possibility of supporting the introduction of similar systems in other countries. Japan also aims to improve its own system by accumulating know-how through the operations of foreign systems.

Japan’s earthquake early warning system was introduced in October 2007, providing quake information on TV and radio and through smartphones. Similar systems are used in the United States, China, Taiwan and Mexico.