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Straits Times
a day ago
- General
- Straits Times
Japan is not doing enough to avoid ‘toilet panic' in disasters
When a major natural disaster strikes, water and electricity are often cut off, sewage systems and septic tanks are damaged, and flushable toilets may become inoperable. PHOTO: ST FILE Japan is not doing enough to avoid 'toilet panic' in disasters TOKYO - Soon after a powerful earthquake devastated Japan's Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day in 2024, councillor Tsuyoshi Yamahana heard about the dire state of public restrooms at a local train station. Mr Yamahana , a member of the Nanao City Council in Ishikawa Prefecture, immediately headed for the station and was met with an overwhelming stench – the men's, women's and multipurpose toilets were overflowing with human waste, which had even spread outside to the nearby train tracks. 'My guess is the restrooms weren't working anymore and people couldn't hold it in,' Mr Yamahana told Kyodo News in a recent interview. He hastily sealed off the toilets with plastic sheets, but convenience stores and rest stops also became filthy. When a major natural disaster strikes, water and electricity are often cut off, sewage systems and septic tanks are damaged, and flushable toilets may become inoperable. Necessities such as food and water are given top priority, but the importance of keeping toilets working is often overlooked. The maintenance of sanitary toilets in times of disaster is also essential to saving people's lives, experts say. In the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, water was cut off to approximately 1.25 million households in Hyogo Prefecture, and toilets in evacuation centres and other places became extremely unsanitary. The situation spawned the term 'toilet panic.' In a survey of victims of the April 2016 Kumamoto earthquake conducted by an environmental expert, a majority of respondents said they needed to relieve themselves just hours after the quake. The disaster and toilet use were intrinsically linked, the expert found. A woman in her 40s affected by the Noto disaster in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, took refuge with her child at an elementary school that served as an evacuation centre from January to August 2024. For a while, the toilets didn't work. 'The first week was miserable,' she recalled. The centre handed out so-called 'portable toilets,' bags that attach to toilet bowls when there is no running water. Urine in the bags can quickly solidify using absorbent sheets or powder or gel coagulants. Despite Japan's vaunted reputation as a nation drilled for disasters, many people don't know how to use portable toilets. They would throw the coagulants directly into the toilet bowl, making them unusable, or use toilet bowls as usual despite the lack of running water. 'I myself had never used a portable toilet,' the woman said. 'I thought that if I'd learned how to use it as a child, this kind of thing would not happen in an emergency.' To apply the lessons from the Noto Peninsula earthquake, educators are explaining portable toilets to elementary school students. Mr Atsushi Kato, president of Japan Toilet Labo., a non-profit which has been conducting educational activities on toilet-related issues, addressed a fifth-grade classroom at Izumo Elementary School in Tokyo's Ota Ward in November 2024. He asked the children what they think would happen when one doesn't go to the toilet and holds it in. Many said it would result in illness or soiling oneself. With a model of a Western-style toilet, the children tried using portable toilets with coloured water instead of urine. 'I'd never used a portable toilet,' said one child. 'I'd like to teach others who don't know how to use them.' According to Mr Kato, the 'initial response' of using a toilet during a disaster is crucial because if toilets become unsanitary, infectious diseases can spread. In some cases, people may not drink enough water to avoid using the toilet, leading to complications such as economy class syndrome or even death. Women in particular tend to reduce the number of times they go. 'First, we want children to know how to use portable toilets to protect their own health,' he said. 'The next step would be to have them teach their families. The lessons learned from the Noto Peninsula earthquake may help prevent the next toilet panic.' To avoid unhygienic conditions that make evacuees hesitant to use toilets, the government is required to make efforts to prevent them from defecating in evacuation centre toilets. Professor of environmental studies at Taisho University Tomoko Okayama surveyed municipalities affected by the Kumamoto quake and found that it took an average of nearly two weeks to install temporary toilets, also known as porta-potties. She urges people to stockpile portable toilets at home. The number required varies from person to person, but based on the assumption that one person goes to the toilet five times a day, it is recommended to have at least a three-day supply. A seven-day supply is even safer, said Prof Okayama, who added they are also needed at workplaces and locations where large numbers of people may become stranded in a disaster. KYODO NEWS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yomiuri Shimbun
28-05-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Residents in District of Japan's Quake-Hit Noto Area Learn Disaster Radio Knowhow; Volunteers Learning from Area in Miyagi Hit by 2011 Quake
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.
Japan Times
03-05-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Princess Aiko delivers first official address
Princess Aiko delivered an address at the opening ceremony of the 23rd meeting of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) in Tokyo on Saturday. It was the first time the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako has made an address as part of her official duty. The princess noted that Japan has overhauled and upgraded its medical system through its experiences with major disasters, such as the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. "I believe this meeting is a meaningful opportunity to pass on your rich experiences and knowledge to young generations who will play major roles in the future," she added. Princess Aiko, who works for the Japanese Red Cross Society, has been interested in emergency medical care and disaster rescue activities, according to the Imperial Household Agency. On April 23, she received explanations on these topics from experts including Yasuhiro Otomo, head of the National Hospital Organization Disaster Medical Center, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Otomo serves as the chair of the organizing committee for the latest WADEM meeting.
Yomiuri Shimbun
03-05-2025
- Health
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Princess Aiko Delivers First Address During Official Duty; Daughter of Emperor and Empress Speaks at Opening of International Medical Conference
The Yomiuri Shimbun Princess Aiko delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the WADEM Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2025 in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday. Princess Aiko, the daughter of the Emperor and Empress, delivered her first address during an official duty, speaking at the opening ceremony of an international medical conference in Tokyo on Saturday. 'Japan has experienced major disasters which have transformed our systems of disaster medicine and forced them to evolve,' Princess Aiko said, referring to the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, in her speech at the WADEM Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2025. 'This conference will be deeply meaningful as a valuable opportunity for participants to share the expertise and skills they have obtained so far, as well as for advancing further international cooperation and for passing on a wealth of knowledge and experience to the younger generation who will lead the way in the coming era,' the princess added. Princess Aiko, who works for the Japanese Red Cross Society, has an interest in disaster relief and emergency medical care. To prepare her for Saturday's opening ceremony, the princess received an expert briefing at the Imperial Residence in the Imperial Palace in late April. Medical professionals and researchers from about 80 countries and regions are expected to attend the four-day conference in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, which is hosted by the Science Council of Japan and others.
Japan Times
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Haruki Murakami TV adaptation revisits 30 years of watershed moments
For decades, Haruki Murakami has captivated readers worldwide with his brand of offbeat existentialism and urban malaise, exploring Japan's psyche through surreal intrigues that blur past and present, the ordinary and the supernatural. His short stories and novels have inspired a wealth of stage and film adaptations, including Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Oscar-winning 'Drive My Car' (2021). It isn't until now, however, that the author is making his first foray into television with NHK's new four-episode miniseries, 'After the Quake,' which will air Saturdays from April 5. Directed by studio veteran Tsuyoshi Inoue and scripted by Takamasa Oe, the series adapts four tales from the author's short story collection of the same name and brings Murakami's singular sensibility to life through an impressive ensemble cast and thoughtful world-building. Oe and executive producer Teruhisa Yamamoto previously served as co-writer and producer, respectively, of 'Drive My Car.' 'Grasping the concepts that dwell within the passages of Murakami's stories and transforming them into images is a challenge like swimming in a vast ocean,' Yamamoto tells The Japan Times over email. 'The ocean is deep but also tranquil and beautiful. It's probably because of our previous experience that we were able to swim across it at all.' 'After the Quake' brings author Haruki Murakami's work to television for the first time, with episodes adapted from the eponymous story collection. | © NHK 'UFO in Kushiro,' the first episode that is scheduled to air this Saturday, transports the viewer to the immediate aftermath of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. Young Tokyoite Komura (Masaki Okada) observes stoically as his wife Mimei (Ai Hashimoto) maintains a days-long vigil in front of the TV, stricken dumb by round-the-clock reportage of the devastation and growing casualty toll. Komura returns home one day to find their home stripped bare of his wife's belongings. 'You have nothing inside you that you can give me,' she writes in her parting letter. 'Living with you is like living with a chunk of air.' So begins a series of events that culminates in Komura's solo trip to Hokkaido with a mysterious package in tow, his life shaken to its core by the belated realization of how little he and his wife knew of each other. The stories in 'After the Quake' were written in the years following the 1995 earthquake and explore the event's ripple effects across Japanese society. As longtime Murakami translator Jay Rubin writes in 'Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words,' the disaster and its aftershocks force characters who live far from the epicenter 'to confront an emptiness they have borne inside them for years.' The NHK drama begins in 1995, but each successive episode shifts forward in time, adapting the source material to skirt the edges of other major events from the past three decades, including the Great East Japan Earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic. In effect, the scope of Murakami's reflection on fin de siecle Japan is extended into a retrospective of contemporary history and large-scale incidents that have shaped more than one generation and left their imprint on the nation at large. Like in the original stories, the characters remain on the peripheries, but the gravitational pull exerted by each catastrophe has bearing on their destinies. Though the disasters occur off-screen, the routine rhythms of individual lives are violently disrupted, surfacing long-hidden tensions that all but demand release — and often leave in their wake more questions than answers. In every 45-minute episode, Inoue deftly captures the outline of a world — and the essence of the people who inhabit it — that Murakami conveys in his characteristic straightforward prose. 'UFO in Kushiro' offers a view onto the strangeness and stifled sorrow of the characters' inner lives through nuanced portrayals by Okada, Hashimoto and Erika Karata (who plays a character named Shimao). Other memorable performances from the series include Shinichi Tsutsumi in the role of disheveled artist Miyake in 'Landscape with Flatiron,' and Daichi Watanabe as the adult version of Yoshiya, a young man who has all but renounced his devout upbringing, in 'All God's Children Can Dance.' "After the Quake" brings Haruki Murakami's singular sensibility to life through an impressive ensemble cast and thoughtful world-building. | © NHK Multi-instrumentalist Yoshihide Otomo's score, by turns melancholic, whimsical and sinister, adds further texture to the narrative landscape. According to Yamamoto, Otomo visited the production in person and improvised on electric guitar. 'The musical world was made possible by Otomo's wonderful sensitivity,' Yamamoto says. The characters and stories are linked across space and time by a handful of totems: a plain white box, a refrigerator, a frog. The wonder and dread characteristic of a megalopolis like Tokyo are handily expressed through striking visuals such as a tilt-shift shot of the Shinjuku skyline and an unsettlingly swift pan to follow a train racing down an underground passage. Meanwhile, other settings like coastal Ibaraki Prefecture and a secluded religious compound are also well-delineated in their quietude and wistfulness. Where the adaptation falters slightly is in the visual effects, which are thankfully sparse until the fourth and final episode. The episode in question was conceived as a sequel to 'Super-Frog Saves Tokyo' from the story collection, following up with the same characters in 2025. Though some degree of stylization is unavoidable when an anthropomorphic talking frog (voiced by Non) is an integral part of the plot, the episode's departure into a subterranean realm is not as impactful as the human dramas enacted in the previous stories. At a press conference last month, Okada, Hashimoto and Karata each expressed a sense of bewilderment at but reverence for Murakami's abstruse themes and peculiar characters. 'I read the story and screenplay over and over again,' Okada shared in a public statement. 'But I still feel like I'm constantly thinking about it, even though the shoot is over. ... Perhaps there is no end to this story.' [bio]'After the Quake' airs Saturdays, starting from April 5. For more information, visit
