Andrew Mitchell, assistant professor at Kumamoto University, holds a booklet created by KEEP, a group he founded to raise awareness of disaster preparedness among foreign residents. Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City, April 3. (©Sankei/Tomoka Yoshida)
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As Japan sees more foreign residents and inbound visitors, disaster preparedness is being tested by language barriers and cultural differences.
In past disasters, including the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, many foreign residents were left confused by unfamiliar disaster-related terms. Local governments trying to support them also faced manpower and budget constraints, especially in smaller municipalities.
Experts say foreign residents, whose role is growing as Japan faces labor shortages, should be seen not only as vulnerable people in disasters but as supporters in preparedness who can work with local communities before the next emergency.
Lessons Still Unlearned
In the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, about 170 foreigners were among the dead. Information on matters such as the distribution of relief money and applications for temporary housing was issued almost entirely in Japanese, leaving many foreign evacuees without sufficient access to support.
Those lessons helped spur efforts to assist foreign residents during disasters. But more than 30 years on, the circumstances haven't changed dramatically.
Akiyoshi Kikuchi, an associate professor of disaster sociology at Meisei University, points to language and cultural differences as underlying factors.
"Some people may know the word tsunami, but not understand just how dangerous it can be," Kikuchi said.
Many are simply unfamiliar with disasters or lack knowledge of evacuation and disaster preparedness. In some cases, translating Japanese into another language is not enough to prompt appropriate action.
Patchy Local Support
When evacuation stretches over days or weeks, local government support also becomes crucial, including interpreters for administrative procedures. But the level of assistance appears to vary widely by region.
One key institution is the multilingual disaster support center, which serves as a temporary hub for assisting foreign residents during major disasters.
At the request of local governments, they dispatch multilingual interpreters to evacuation shelters, translate disaster-related information, and provide updates in plain Japanese.
But a 2024 survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications found that fewer than 10% of local governments had systems in place to establish such centers during a crisis.
Of Japan's 47 prefectures and 1,741 municipalities, only 163 said they had systems in place to launch such centers. The survey found that smaller municipalities were especially likely to lag behind.
"In small municipalities, officials may understand that support is needed, but they often have limited human resources and, in many cases, no budget," Kikuchi said.
"The national government needs to provide support in training personnel and funding," she added.
Partners in Preparedness
Major disasters, from a possible Nankai Trough megaquake to a powerful earthquake directly beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area, can strike without warning.
Against that backdrop, Kikuchi calls for strengthening "multicultural disaster preparedness." The idea is to treat the growing foreign population as participants in local disaster readiness and as members of the wider community.
According to Kikuchi, more foreign residents are joining local volunteer fire corps. Foreign residents are also often best placed to understand issues that Japanese communities may overlook, from language and cultural differences to religious taboos.
"Helping foreign residents during disasters is important, but we also need to think about how communities can help one another," she said. "What matters is whether those relationships are built in ordinary times."
A Survivor's Lesson
Some have begun taking action themselves. Andrew Mitchell, a British-born specially appointed assistant professor at Kumamoto University, founded KEEP with fellow international students after experiencing the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. The group works to promote disaster preparedness among foreign residents.
"Many foreign residents have never received disaster training in their home countries and tend to think disasters have nothing to do with them," Mitchell said. His own experience in the Kumamoto earthquakes now informs his efforts to raise disaster awareness.
On the night of April 14, 2016, when Mitchell was an international student, violent shaking struck his apartment in Kumamoto City. Terrified, he pulled a mattress over his head for protection.
During the stronger main shock two days later, he evacuated to Kumamoto University with a Japanese student from a neighboring room. The gymnasium was already full, so they spent the night outside.
Mitchell could handle everyday conversations in Japanese, but he said he did not know where to evacuate and was unfamiliar with the word hinanjo, or evacuation shelter.
Rumors were also spreading online that a nearby bridge had collapsed. "I was anxious because I didn't know how to get accurate information," he recalled.
The experience showed him how difficult it can be for foreigners to get reliable information during a disaster.
Building Ties Before Disaster
Nearly 10 years after KEEP was founded, Mitchell continues to share information on social media and speak at events hosted by local governments and disaster-preparedness groups.
He urges international students and technical trainees to take everyday precautions, such as carrying portable chargers, and encourages them to join local disaster drills.
Foreign residents in Japan now number more than 4 million and come from increasingly diverse backgrounds. Mitchell stressed the importance of building relationships that allow people to help one another, even through gestures when language is a barrier.
"Preparedness can save your life and the lives of your family, friends, and colleagues—but allows you to help your community," he said.
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Authors: Akari Horiguchi and Tomoka Yoshida, The Sankei Shimbun
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