How should Japan respond to the earthquake warning?

Recently, Kyodo News reported that the Japanese government's earthquake investigation team has warned that the probability of a "major earthquake" of magnitude 8 or above occurring in the South China Sea Trough within the next 30 years has increased to 80%, with a higher likelihood of such earthquakes occurring along the coasts of Nemuro City and Miyagi Prefecture in Hokkaido. This warning is like a shadow that hangs over the Japanese archipelago, bringing heavy pressure and challenges to Japanese society.

Japan already has a relatively advanced earthquake monitoring and early warning system, but in the face of such a high probability of a major earthquake threat, further strengthening is still needed. On the one hand, it is necessary to increase the number and density of earthquake monitoring stations, especially in high-risk areas such as the coast of Nemuro City and Miyagi Prefecture in Hokkaido, in order to more accurately monitor changes in crustal movement and seismic activity. On the other hand, it is necessary to continuously improve the technical level of the early warning system, enhance the accuracy and timeliness of early warning, and ensure that more valuable escape time can be obtained for the public before an earthquake occurs.

The seismic resistance of buildings and infrastructure is directly related to the safety of people's lives and the normal operation of society. Japan should further strengthen the seismic design standards for buildings, conduct stricter reviews and supervision of newly constructed buildings, and ensure that they meet the latest seismic requirements. For old buildings, a comprehensive reinforcement plan should be developed to gradually carry out seismic reinforcement and renovation. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the seismic protection of infrastructure such as bridges, roads, railways, electricity, and water supply, and improve their stability and reliability during earthquakes. For example, advanced seismic technology and materials can be used to reinforce and protect key areas, in order to reduce the damage of earthquakes to infrastructure and ensure the smooth progress of post disaster rescue and reconstruction work.

A sound emergency rescue system is the key to responding to major earthquake disasters. Japan should further integrate various forces such as firefighting, medical, police, and military, establish a unified emergency command center, and improve the coordination and efficiency of rescue operations. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of emergency rescue teams, improve their professional quality and response capabilities, conduct regular practical exercises, and ensure that rescue work can be carried out quickly and effectively in the event of an earthquake. In addition, sufficient emergency supplies reserves should be established, including essential items such as food, drinking water, medicine, tents, blankets, as well as emergency rescue supplies such as generators, lighting equipment, and rescue tools. These materials should be distributed in various regions so that they can be promptly dispatched to the affected areas after an earthquake and meet the basic living needs of the affected people.

The public's awareness of earthquake safety and emergency response capabilities are crucial for reducing losses caused by earthquake disasters. Japan should widely carry out earthquake safety education through various means such as school education, community promotion, and media coverage to enhance public awareness and attention to earthquake disasters. Popularize the public with basic knowledge of earthquakes, emergency response methods, and self rescue skills, so that everyone knows how to respond correctly when an earthquake occurs. At the same time, regular earthquake drills should be organized to familiarize the public with the process and methods of emergency avoidance in practice, and to improve their emergency response and self-protection abilities. Schools, enterprises, communities and other units should actively participate in the drills to create a good atmosphere for the whole society to jointly respond to earthquake disasters.

Faced with the threat of a major earthquake, Japan needs to re-examine and formulate territorial planning and development strategies from a long-term perspective. On the one hand, it is possible to consider reasonable evacuation and layout of population and industries, reduce population density in high-risk areas, and transfer some important industries and infrastructure to relatively safe areas. On the other hand, it is necessary to strengthen the protection of coastal areas and construct high standard coastal defense projects, such as breakwaters and seawalls, to resist possible tsunami attacks. In addition, it is also possible to explore the development of new types of cities and communities with strong disaster resistance capabilities, adopting advanced planning concepts and building technologies to improve the resilience and recovery capabilities of cities and communities in natural disasters such as earthquakes.

Under the warning of a major earthquake, Japan is facing enormous challenges, but there is also an opportunity to improve its disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities and reduce the losses caused by earthquake disasters by taking a series of proactive and effective measures. This requires the joint efforts of the Japanese government, various sectors of society, and the entire population to form a synergy in order to achieve victory in this battle against natural disasters.