Earthquake information scarce for foreign tourists; experts say government should provide information to tourists

Yomiuri Shimbun A foreign tourist, right, receives a briefing on a disaster prevention app at a tourist information center in Kochi on Saturday.

Yomiuri Shimbun

16:37 Japan Time, August 11, 2024

Foreigners visiting Japan are facing uncertainty and confusion after last week's warning of a possible major earthquake in the Nankai Trough. Many tourists appear to have no idea what's happening, prompting experts to suggest the government needs to provide them with detailed information.

Adriana Duran, a 33-year-old Australian tourist who was visiting Tokyo's Asakusa district, said the lack of information available left her unsure of what to do.

Following the powerful earthquake off the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture on Thursday, Duran downloaded a government-sponsored app that provides disaster information to foreigners, but was unable to find any information about the advisory for the massive quake.

Duran is on her second trip to Japan and had wanted to visit the countryside, but now her itinerary only includes the cities, and she is more used to dealing with foreigners.

“I think we have to do more for foreigners,” she said.

An English teacher from Spain who was visiting Japan relied on a friend to send him information via social media after Thursday's quake.

The Spanish tourist was in Tokyo's Shinjuku district on Friday night when another strong earthquake struck Kanagawa Prefecture. The Spanish tourist said the strong tremors and early warning sound made him feel like he was going to die. He tried to ask people around him what was happening, but no one would tell him.

Subtitle: More than 3 million tourists per month

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, 3.13 million foreign tourists visited Japan in June alone—the highest number ever in a single month. However, the “Safety Tips” app, which the Japan Tourism Agency recommends to foreign tourists as a useful tool during natural disasters, does not provide any information about the megathrust earthquake.

On the other hand, although the Miyazaki municipal government has set up a multilingual disaster hotline to provide information and support around the clock in 21 languages, no calls were received as of 5 p.m. on Friday.

Nationwide efforts are underway to get information directly to foreigners at tourist sites. The Yosakoi Festival in Kochi saw major events on Saturday, and the city’s tourist information center immediately compiled a map showing nearby shelters and routes to them, among other information.

The center also introduces tourists to the Kochi Prefectural Government's disaster prevention app, which provides information in eight languages.

A Thai tourist travelling alone said he did not know how to search for information related to the earthquake but felt relieved after receiving a briefing on how to use the app.

The tourist information center in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, is equipped with multilingual translation equipment and provides explanations to foreign tourists using a tsunami hazard map in English.

A French student visiting the city for sightseeing said strong quakes scare them because earthquakes of any kind are rare in their country. The 24-year-old, who is currently studying in Japan, added that they wanted to make sure where to evacuate in case it became necessary.

Many foreign tourists do not know the municipality they are traveling through, said Kiyokazu Maebayashi, a professor of social disaster management at Kobe Gakuin University.

“The central government needs to collect information from regional cities and provide it to foreigners, and it is also important to share this information on tourism apps that are popular among foreign tourists,” he added.

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