TOKYO — More than 30 percent of people in their 20s and 30s in Japan did not know the government had issued an advisory for a potential earthquake along the Nankai Trough in west-central Japan in August, according to a survey made by Nomura Research Institute Ltd. found.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced its first additional Nankai Trough earthquake warning (megathrust earthquake warning) after a feared magnitude less than 6 on Japan’s 7-point seismic intensity scale struck the Hyuga Sea- nada off the southwest coast of Japan. Miyazaki Prefecture on August 8.

Noting the latest survey results, Nomura Research Institute commented: “It is necessary to send information through various media, including social media, to attract the attention of younger generations.”

Daily media reports fail to reach the young group

At the time of the advisory, the JMA asked people to check disaster prevention information and review their preparedness in their daily lives for a period of one week until August 15, on the grounds that “the possibility of another large-scale earthquake in the area of ​​the presumed epicenter for an earthquake in the Nankai Trough is considered to be larger than usual.”

During the advisory period, Tokaido Shinkansen trains operated slowly on some sections, and limited express train services were suspended along coastal areas in the predicted epicenter area. In addition, a number of events have been cancelled, including summer fireworks festivals. People flocked to supermarkets and DIY stores as they took bags of rice and bottles of water for storage, leaving the shelves of these establishments temporarily empty. Newspapers and TV stations reported things related to the earthquake advisory day after day.

In the September online survey of 50,000 people aged 20 to 80, respondents were asked if they knew a “Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information” alert had been issued. Of these, 24.2% said they were “not aware”. The proportion who say this tends to be higher among younger generations, at 36.0% of those in their 20s and 31.8% of those in their 30s. Meanwhile, just under 90% of over-70s said they were “aware” of the ad.

Older generations are ‘uninterested’ in megaquake advisory

The survey asked some additional questions to about 5,000 of those who said they were “aware” of the earthquake advisory announcement.

The main source where people learned about the ad was through television for all age groups. The second most common source was social media only for those in their 20s and the internet for those over 30. The Internet was the third most common for those in their 20s, while it was social media for those in their 30s and 40s and newspapers for those 50 and over.

Asked how they felt when they heard about the ad, with respondents asked to choose from 10 types of responses, including “anxiety,” “surprise,” “skeptical,” and “not interested,” and multiple choice allowed, “anxiety” was the more frequent. answer for all generations, chosen by 65.0% of all respondents.

While more than 70% of those in their 20s and 30s mentioned anxiety, the proportion was in the 50% range for those in their 60s and 70s and over. The percentages of people who chose “skeptical” and “not interested” were both higher among those in the over-60 segments.

When asked how they acted in response to the earthquake advisory being issued, 43.7% of all respondents said they “did nothing in particular”. The proportion of those opting for this answer was higher among older generations, including 50.2% of those aged 70 and over, as opposed to just 34.0% of those in their 20s . Respondents who said they had checked earthquake information and the Nankai Trough Earthquake supplementary information bulletin accounted for 41.9% of those in their 20s, while this percentage was in the 10% range among all seniors 60 years and over.

Wakako Tachibana, a senior consultant at Nomura Research Institute, explained that even among those who knew about the earthquake advisory, the elderly and those living alone tended to be skeptical or uninterested in the information.

Sending information about simple, specific measures

Tachibana noted, “Even if people are asked by the government to ‘check training in their daily lives’, those who are not trained regularly will have no idea what to do. For example, instructions for actions to take should be simple and to the point, such as “Wear sneakers, not pumps” (in case of evacuation). It is hoped that companies and other organizations will work on disaster prevention measures to protect people without leaving anyone out.”

(Japanese original by Atsuko Ota, Digital News Group)