The Japanese government says it will review how it issues special mega-earthquake advisories after local governments responded in a variety of ways to the first such advisory earlier this month.
The advisory was issued on August 8 following a magnitude 7.1 jolt off Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan, on the same day.
The advisory is a precautionary measure taken against a possible mega-quake occurring in the Nankai Trough, which runs along the Pacific coast. It warns that the possibility of a mega-quake is higher than usual.
One was in effect for a week in 707 municipalities in 29 of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
These municipalities were asked to review their quake-preparedness while continuing to carry out normal social and economic activities.
Some municipalities held festivals as scheduled while giving visitors instructions in advance about how to evacuate in the event of a tsunami.
Others took more cautious approaches. Some urged senior citizens to evacuate, or closed beaches and banned swimming at them.
NHK interviewed a Cabinet Office official in charge of disaster preparedness about the different responses to the advisory.
He said each municipality’s response was based on the situation on the ground. He said the government had anticipated various responses under the current system.
He added the government will not provide compensation for revenue losses, including from hotel room cancellations.
He said he thinks municipalities were unsure how to respond because it was the first-ever mega-quake advisory issued by the government.
He said the government will consider what to tell people and how to inform them when there is a higher-than-usual possibility of a mega-quake. He added the government will also review the guidelines for how municipalities and businesses should respond.