Residents in District of Japan's Quake-Hit Noto Area Learn Disaster Radio Knowhow; Volunteers Learning from Area in Miyagi Hit by 2011 Quake

Yomiuri Shimbun

28-05-2025

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Shin Nakayama, right, and other members of the Machino district in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, learn broadcasting techniques during a training session in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, on June 17.
KANAZAWA — Members of a community affected by a major earthquake and heavy rains are working on opening a temporary disaster radio station in June that will provide information to the area in emergencies.
The Machino district of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, suffered damage from the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake and heavy rainfall that hit the prefecture.
Volunteers are being taught how to broadcast information by a radio station in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, an area affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Lessons from Miyagi
A temporary disaster radio station is an FM station set up by local governments to provide information on disaster relief, such as water supplies and food distribution. The system was established after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, with 28 municipalities opening such stations during the 2011 earthquake in the Tohoku region.
The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry issues licenses to municipalities and decides the station's broadcast frequency. Supervision by a qualified individual with a second-class technical radio operator for on-the-ground services or higher is required, but qualified individuals from companies or volunteer organizations are permitted to help out.
In mid-May, six Machino volunteer members visited Onagawa FM's radio room for their five-day training program to learn how to run a radio station.
'Wajima is just like Onagawa in that it is by the sea and is rich in nature. We want to rebuild it into a stylish town like Onagawa,' one of them said in a test broadcast via video streaming.
After the earthquake in January 2024 and the heavy rains that followed in September, television signals and Internet connections in the Machino district were lost, leaving residents without access to information.
Drawing lessons from these major disasters, a group of local volunteers called the Machino reconstruction project committee is preparing to launch a temporary disaster radio station with the cooperation of Wajima City. After test broadcasts were conducted in February, other residents who wanted to help the project came forward.
One of the members, Shin Nakayama, 29, lost his older sister, then 31, who was swept away by mudslides during the heavy rains. He currently lives in temporary housing. 'My sister would've been listening to our radio,' Nakayama said about the reason to join the project. 'I want to deliver information to the community.'
During his visit to Onagawa, Nakayama said he was able to share his feelings with people who also lost their loved ones in the 2011 earthquake.
Enhancing readiness
Onagawa FM's predecessor Onagawa Saigai FM served as a temporary disaster radio station until 2016, when its duties were taken over by a general incorporated association. It ceased broadcasting in 2022 and now supports the opening of similar radio stations nationwide.
Former Onagawa Saigai radio host Machiko Abe, 42, was among the instructors teaching the Machino team in the training program.
'Rather than telling people about problems, communicate with residents to enhance disaster readiness,' Abe told the trainees.
Yusuke Yamashita, 39, who represents the Machino committee, was taught about reporting and production skills.
'We will practice together while being aware that residents would be listening on the other side of the microphone,' Yamashita said.