Japan urged to provide earthquake tips to tourists amid surge in travel cancellations

A vast swathe of southern Japan – from the islands of Okinawa in the south to the mouth of Tokyo Bay – is on heightened alert after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the east coast of Kyushu on August 8. Experts have cautioned that the tremor may have been the precursor to a far larger quake in the Nankai Trough, a 900-km offshore fault.

Should a megaquake similar in scale to the magnitude-9 quake that struck off northeast Japan in March 2011 occur, the consequences could be devastating.

“I do not think enough information and advice is available in other languages for foreign visitors,” said Masaru Takayama, president of Kyoto-based Spirit of Japan Travel.

“At the moment, things like hazard maps for earthquakes, tsunami, landslides and so on are only available in Japanese in most towns because they have been designed for residents, not tourists,” he told This Week in Asia.

As a result, foreign nationals who do not speak or read Japanese will not understand what to do in the event of a major natural disaster, the evacuation routes they would need to follow or where they can get medical treatment or find shelter, according to Takayama.

“There is a complete gap in information and the national and local governments need to fill it because this directly affects the entire tourism industry,” he said.

Takayama on Tuesday chaired a meeting called specifically to bolster protocols for dealing with a disaster, including confirming the locations of staff of his company and travellers, ensuring their well-being and, if required, overseeing their evacuation and any medical treatment they may need.

The Japan National Tourism Organization operates Japan Safe Travel, an online platform that provides regular updates via social media on