Japan is located in the Pacific Rim, where earthquakes and volcanic activity are active, and the number of earthquakes and the number of active volcanoes are extremely high compared to the country's land area of 0.25% of the world. Furthermore, due to geographical, topographical, and meteorological conditions, the country is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as typhoons, heavy rain, and heavy snow. It is important to know about disaster prevention in order to reduce damage during disasters.
(Reference/Citation) “Japan’s Disaster Countermeasures” (Cabinet Office)http://www.bousai.go.jp/1info/pdf/saigaipamphlet_je.pdf
About natural disasters
■Earthquake
Earthquakes are one of the most common natural disasters in Japan, occurring approximately 1 times a year (1-1500 times a day). Earthquakes can occur without any warning, so it is important to be prepared on a daily basis.
■Heavy rain, storm, typhoon, etc.
In Japan, fronts sometimes stagnate at the turn of the seasons and cause heavy rain. Particularly from July to October, natural disasters are likely to occur due to heavy rain and strong winds due to the effects of typhoons and fronts. In recent years, torrential rains and localized heavy rains, in which heavy rain falls in a very small area in a short period of time, have been occurring frequently, causing flooding of buildings and flooding of roads. To protect yourself from these disasters, please pay attention to the disaster prevention weather information released by the Japan Meteorological Agency and make early preparations for disasters. You can also check the latest information on TV and radio. If you want to understand the situation in a language other than Japanese, you can also check NHK World.
*Check disaster-related news etc. in multiple languages:
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Japan Meteorological Agency Emergency Earthquake Early Warning
http://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eew/data/nc/
*NHK World https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/
*JR East https://traininfo.jreast.co.jp/train_info/e/
■Disaster message dial, disaster message board
Disaster message dial Tel: 171
The Disaster Message Dial will be provided when a disaster such as an earthquake or volcanic eruption causes an increase in communications to the affected area, making it difficult to connect.
https://www.ntt-east.co.jp/saigai/voice171/
Disaster message board
Disaster message board is a service that allows you to register safety information on your mobile phone in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 6-lower or higher.
https://dengon.ezweb.ne.jp/service.do?p1=dmb261 (ouch)
https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/info/disaster/disaster_board/index.html (docomo)
https://www.softbank.jp/mobile/service/dengon/boards/#sec-03 (Softbank)
Reference: How to register for a disaster message board, etc. in the event of an earthquake (English: Tokyo)
https://www.bousai.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/link/1000028/index.html
A collection of useful links related to natural disasters
■List of useful information links
Japan's disaster countermeasures http://www.bousai.go.jp/1info/pdf/saigaipamphlet_je.pdf (Cabinet Office)
Disaster prevention multilingual manual, etc.
Tokyo disaster prevention
https://www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/english/guide/bosai/index.html Disaster Preparedness Tokyo
https://www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/chinese/guide/bosai/index.html Anti-Deaf Armor《Tokyo Anti-Deaf》
https://www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/korean/guide/bosai/index.html ``방재책자'' ``도쿄방재''
Tokyo disaster prevention map https://map.bosai.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/
Tokyo Disaster Prevention Handbook https://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/lfe/bou_topic/foreign/index.html
Tokyo International Exchange Association https://tabunka.tokyo-tsunagari.or.jp/guide/kinkyu/05.html
Disaster information distribution website/app for foreigners: Safety tips https://www.jnto.go.jp/safety-tips/eng/index.html
・10 preparations for earthquakes https://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/eng/119/119-05.html
Weather information etc.
Weather information [typhoons, etc.]: Japan Meteorological Agency http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/menu.html
Earthquake information: Japan Meteorological Agency http://www.jma.go.jp/jp/quake/
Tsunami information: Japan Meteorological Agency http://www.jma.go.jp/jp/tsunami/
Tokyo Fire Department https://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/eng/index.html
■Local information
Tokyo
https://www.bousai.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/ (English)
Shinjuku
https://www.city.shinjuku.lg.jp/anzen/index03.html (English)