Learning from Disaster Simulation Drills in Japan

Large-scale natural disasters are a frequent and common occurrence in Japan. Over the years, Japan has evolved its disaster management system to address all phases of a disaster: from disaster prevention, mitigation, and preparedness, to emergency response, recovery, and rehabilitation. This report consists of four parts: Introduction (Chapter 1, 2, 3), Simulation drills (Chapter 4, 5, 6, 7), Community based activities for disaster awareness and risk communication (Chapter 8, 9), and Conclusion (Chapter 10). The introduction (Chapter 1) starts with an overview of the institutional and legislative frameworks for Disaster Management in Japan (Chapter 2), followed by an overview of disaster simulation drills in Japan, particularly focusing on the Comprehensive Disaster Management Drill Framework, which is an overarching framework for both national and local governments (Chapter 3). The following four chapters present examples of simulation drills organized at the national and regional level, including the National Scope (Chapter 4), and overviews of three prefectures: Hyogo (Chapter 5), Shizuoka (Chapter 6) and Tokyo (Chapter 7). The next part of the report introduces a number of community level activities aimed at increasing residents’ disaster awareness and preparedness. These activities are led by various actors, including: a school, an NGO or CSO, and a learning center (Chapter 8). Risk communication activities in Kobe city are introduced (Chapter 9). Finally, the conclusion (Chapter 10) outlines common challenges and offers tips for the planning and implementation of disaster drills in addition to other disaster awareness or preparedness activities. This report was developed to introduce Japanese disaster simulation drills as a model to help other countries plan and implement disaster simulation drill exercises.