Missile evacuation drill held in Tokyo for 1st time

January 22, 2018

Tokyo- Residents and others in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward took part in an evacuation drill on Monday morning to prepare for a possible ballistic missile attack.

It was the first missile evacuation drill held in the Japanese capital. After North Korea's repeated missile launches, similar drills were held in other parts of the country, including the northeastern prefecture of Akita and the central prefectures of Niigata and Toyama.

The latest drill was conducted jointly by the Bunkyo Ward office, the Tokyo metropolitan government, the Cabinet Secretariat and others at two subway stations and an amusement park located in the ward.

Some 350 residents and employees of nearby companies checked how they should respond to emergency situations.

Authorities called on the locals to evacuate to underground areas or inside buildings via the community wireless system and emergency alert email under a scenario that they had received information about missile firing via the nationwide J-Alert early warning system.

At the Tokyo Dome City Attractions amusement park, an announcement over the intercom said that a missile was seen to have been fired. Staff members brought amusement equipment to an emergency halt and guided drill participants to underground walkways and indoor facilities.

"Although I was given explanations, I didn't know what to do once the announcement was made," said a 23-year-old company employee.

"If there had been no guidance from the staff members, I think I would have been confused."

Drill participants who were near subway stations rushed to the entrances following the announcement via the wireless system about the missile firing.

"As some people have trouble walking, I wonder whether the evacuation would go smoothly in real emergency situations," a 67-year-old housewife said.

After the drill, an official of the Cabinet Secretariat said to the participants: "A missile arrives about 10 minutes after being launched. Please try to evacuate in five minutes."

Some citizens who were opposed to the drill chanted slogans against war and claiming such drills were meaningless. Jiji Press