7,300 Schools in Japan Face Quake Threat By Andrew C. Revkin
The Japanese government is planning a virtual museum in Second Life focusing on disaster prevention.
The General Insurance Association of Japan and the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters organize a learning event annually that invites more than 100 radio presenters from all over the nation. Presenters experience effects of a large earthquake and then listen to lectures on the importance of disaster preparedness. The presenters are then asked to speak about their experience with their listening audience.
The Japan Building Disaster Prevention Association is part of the Council for Promotion of Building Disaster Prevention. The Association contributes to promoting building disaster prevention and to disseminating appropriate building maintenance and use. It also distributes pamphlets and posters to raise the public awareness on building disaster prevention during Disaster Prevention Week.
The Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) at Kyoto University has an online disaster information database that is searchable and open to the public.
JRCS provides nationwide courses on first aid, water safety, snow safety, home nursing and child safety with the purpose of promoting health and safety.
The Japanese government leads a broad scale public participation exercise on National Preparedness Day. This event involves the private, public, civic, and education sectors and in 2007 involved more than half a million people.
The FDMA in Japan is housed within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication. They teach fire and earthquake safety to the general public and have ‘quake simulation machines that visit schools and communities to allow people to experience the feeling of a large earthquake.
