Japan prepares for worst with nationwide earthquake drills (Roundup)

Tokyo - More than 590,000 people Monday participated in earthquake drills across Japan on a national quake preparedness day. Heads of government ministries and agencies gathered at the prime minister's office early Monday to discuss emergency measures and responses on the assumption that a mock magnitude-8.6 earthquake hit western Japan. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told citizens to 'respond calmly to this major disaster and cooperate to expedite rescuing people and put out the fires.' Led by Fukuda, a government investigation team visited Kishiwada city in Osaka prefecture to observe a joint earthquake drill involving nine municipalities from western and central Japan. 'Human lives should not be lost in natural disasters,' the prime minister said, adding that a practical response would be necessary in times of real major earthquakes. In this year's drill, Japan's military, local police and firefighters collaborated in a series of emergency responses from subways and public buses to conduct rescue operations. Self Defence Force trucks drove through Tokyo's high-end Ginza shopping district to mock-rescue wounded volunteers who were carried out from subway stations. In central Shizuoka province, more than 440,000 people participated in disaster preparedness exercises where people rescued victims from underneath rubble and made emergency escapes from department stores and high-rise buildings. In Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture, Japanese police and firefighters collaborated with the US Navy. In the northern province Miyagi, the drills involved elementary and junior high school students, while local women's clubs organized an open kitchen to distribute 5,000 rice balls. On June 14, the region was hit by a magnitude-7.2 earthquake which killed at least 13 and left 10 people missing. Japan conducts annual nationwide earthquake drills on September 1 to commemorate the Great Kanto Earthquake which hit Tokyo and the surrounding region in 1923 and killed more than 140,000 people. Being one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, Japanese experts believe Japan is likely to be hit by another major earthquake within the next 50 years, with the potential to kill thousands.