Takaichi participates in simulated earthquake drill on Disaster Prevention Day

The government conducted a disaster drill Tuesday, simulating a scenario in which a major earthquake had struck along the Japan and Chishima trenches, off the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to the Tohoku region.

In the drill, an emergency response headquarters headed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was set up at the Prime Minister’s Office. The government received reports on the situation in areas affected in the simulation from Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki, Aomori Gov. Soichiro Miyashita and others.

The government holds an annual disaster response drill on Disaster Prevention Day, which fell on Tuesday this year.

This year’s drill assumed that an 8.3-magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Tokachi in Hokkaido at around 7 a.m., registering 7 — the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale — in the eastern part of the Hidaka region of the prefecture.

At the meeting of the emergency response headquarters, Suzuki said, “As we anticipate a large number of evacuees, we ask for the prompt provision of emergency relief supplies.”

Takaichi responded, “The government will swiftly implement proactive support to ensure that necessary supplies are provided fully at evacuation centers.”

The prime minister held a news conference after the meeting to explain the government’s response.

She called on the public to “take action to protect their lives, such as evacuating to a safe place.”

Ahead of the drill, Cabinet members came to the prime minister’s office on foot, assuming that a powerful earthquake had occurred directly beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area.

According to government estimates, if a magnitude 9 quake occurs along the Japan Trench or the Chishima Trench, tsunami heights could reach about 30 meters, with fatalities estimated at up to about 199,000 along the Japan Trench and 100,000 along the Chishima Trench.

The government is working on measures to reduce damage, including improvements to evacuation routes.

After the drill, Takaichi moved to the city of Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, to inspect a joint disaster prevention drill conducted by nine prefectures and cities, based on the scenario of an earthquake occurring beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area. She took part in a cardiopulmonary resuscitation training session using an automated external defibrillator.