On New Year’s Day, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the Noto region of Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture. The entire region — particularly Wajima and Suzu cities — has been devastated. It was yet another massive earthquake that hit Japan, after the one more than 10 years ago in the Tohoku region. Japan has learned from the past.
When confronted with a natural disaster, Japanese are ready to cope with the situation. From civilians to officials, Japanese know what needs to be done during and after massive earthquakes. It is worth considering what measures Japan has taken to reduce the number of injuries and deaths.
In Japan, disaster prevention is a significant part of education. The government demands that every school includes such classes and underscores the importance of disaster prevention.
Additionally, schools are required, or at least encouraged, to work with surrounding neighborhoods, given that when a natural disaster occurs, it involves not only the schools, but also nearby communities.
As a result, the whole nation understands how to mitigate the destruction brought by a natural disaster, and every civilian knows that responsibility lies with everyone, not just with government officials, medical workers, police officers or firefighters. “Disaster prevention” has become an activity to which everyone is committed. Non-governmental organizations such as neighborhood associations, churches, private corporations and many others are supposed to play their roles when earthquakes hit.
To prevent a disaster and mitigate the destruction that follows, public awareness about disaster preparedness is the key. Of course, a country’s infrastructure, regulations and institutions are also important, but based on Japan’s experience, being aware of disasters and hence acquiring a certain degree of preparedness is decisive. With a sense of awareness, civilians and officials could confront the sudden circumstance more aptly and quickly.
In recent years, under the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, natural disasters have occured more frequently and have become a part of our daily lives. Yet when it comes to disaster prevention, are we doing enough? Compared with the Japanese, we seem much less aware of natural disasters and their potential damage. Most of us do not know how to take precautions, and many of us tend to think: If it happens, so be it.
Taiwan could learn from Japan by increasing public awareness about disaster preparedness through education, community work and government measures. Only in doing so could we react to any kind of disaster as quickly as possible. This is the fundamental step to mitigate destruction and prevent deaths.
Dino Wei is an information engineer in Yilan County.
Translated by Emma Liu
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS