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The Mainichi
11 hours ago
- Health
- The Mainichi
Japan is not doing enough to avoid 'toilet panic' in disasters
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Soon after a powerful earthquake devastated Japan's Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day 2024, councilor Tsuyoshi Yamahana heard about the dire state of public restrooms at a local train station. 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," 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 centers 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 center from January to August 2024. For a while, the toilets didn't work. "The first week was miserable," she recalled. The center 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. Atsushi Kato, president of Japan Toilet Labo., a nonprofit 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 colored 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 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 center toilets. Tomoko Okayama, a professor of environmental studies at Taisho University, 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, Okayama said, adding they are also needed at workplaces and locations where large numbers of people may become stranded in a disaster. "You should assume that for the first 24 hours you will only have portable toilets available," Okayama said.
Kyodo News
2 days ago
- Health
- Kyodo News
FEATURE: Japan is not doing enough to avoid "toilet panic" in disasters
By Chihiro Maeyama, KYODO NEWS - 14 hours ago - 10:24 | All, Feature, Japan Soon after a powerful earthquake devastated Japan's Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day 2024, councilor Tsuyoshi Yamahana heard about the dire state of public restrooms at a local train station. 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," 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 centers 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 center from January to August 2024. For a while, the toilets didn't work. "The first week was miserable," she recalled. The center 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. Atsushi Kato, president of Japan Toilet Labo., a nonprofit 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 colored 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 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 center toilets. Tomoko Okayama, a professor of environmental studies at Taisho University, 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, Okayama said, adding they are also needed at workplaces and locations where large numbers of people may become stranded in a disaster. "You should assume that for the first 24 hours you will only have portable toilets available," Okayama said. Related coverage: Revamped public toilets tours give visitors unique view of Tokyo FEATURE:Support helps lift spirits of foreigners in quake-hit central Japan Japan firm aims to up tiny portable toilet use in disaster planning
Kyodo News
3 days ago
- Health
- Kyodo News
FEATURE: Japan is not doing enough to avoid "toilet panic" in disasters
By Chihiro Maeyama, KYODO NEWS - 7 minutes ago - 10:24 | All, Feature, Japan Soon after a powerful earthquake devastated Japan's Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day 2024, councilor Tsuyoshi Yamahana heard about the dire state of public restrooms at a local train station. 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," 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 centers 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 center from January to August 2024. For a while, the toilets didn't work. "The first week was miserable," she recalled. The center 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. Atsushi Kato, president of Japan Toilet Labo., a nonprofit 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 colored 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 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 center toilets. Tomoko Okayama, a professor of environmental studies at Taisho University, 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, Okayama said, adding they are also needed at workplaces and locations where large numbers of people may become stranded in a disaster. "You should assume that for the first 24 hours you will only have portable toilets available," Okayama said. Related coverage: Revamped public toilets tours give visitors unique view of Tokyo FEATURE:Support helps lift spirits of foreigners in quake-hit central Japan Japan firm aims to up tiny portable toilet use in disaster planning
Japan Today
3 days ago
- General
- Japan Today
Japan is not doing enough to avoid 'toilet panic' in disasters
A student installs a bag on a model toilet during a lesson about "portable toilets" at Izumo Elementary School in Tokyo in November 2024. By Chihiro Maeyama Soon after a powerful earthquake devastated Japan's Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day 2024, councilor Tsuyoshi Yamahana heard about the dire state of public restrooms at a local train station. 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," 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 centers 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 center from January to August 2024. For a while, the toilets didn't work. "The first week was miserable," she recalled. The center 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. Atsushi Kato, president of Japan Toilet Labo., a nonprofit 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 colored 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 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 center toilets. Tomoko Okayama, a professor of environmental studies at Taisho University, 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, Okayama said, adding they are also needed at workplaces and locations where large numbers of people may become stranded in a disaster. "You should assume that for the first 24 hours you will only have portable toilets available," Okayama said. © KYODO
Straits Times
6 days 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.
