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.
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