1 Year On: Noto Quake Sparks Efforts to Get Disaster Info to Foreigners

Tokyo, Dec. 26 (Jiji Press)--A powerful earthquake that hit central Japan nearly a year ago has led to moves to help spread disaster-related information to foreign nationals.

The 7.6-magnitude quake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture on Jan. 1 highlighted the need for improvements to ensure foreign nationals who do not speak Japanese are informed about disasters and evacuation centers.

In the hope of addressing the issues, moves are spreading across the country to hold evacuation drills involving interpreters and inform foreign nationals about an app providing disaster information not only in Japanese but also in other languages.

The Ishikawa capital of Kanazawa is home to popular tourist spots, such as the scenic Kenroku-en garden. Shortly after the quake struck on New Year's Day, around 20 foreign tourists with nowhere to go took refuge at the Kanazawa city government office building. According to the city, some people borrowed blankets and spent the night in the building.

In November, the Kanazawa government and a nonprofit organization offering assistance to foreign nationals in Ishikawa held a disaster drill to practice helping visitors from abroad.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]