22nd is "Marine Day".
I think that some people will go swimming in the sea during the full-scale summer vacation season, but according to a survey by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the local government has introduced the "tsunami flag" that calls for evacuation from the tsunami by waving a flag to people in the sea. Was found to be only about 30%.
The Japan Meteorological Agency will cooperate with local governments and life saver groups to raise awareness of the flag and secure personnel to wave the flag.
The "Tsunami Flag" is a rectangular flag with a red and white grid pattern, and when a tsunami warning or warning is announced, a life saver at the beach waving or posting the flag and is in the sea. Call on people to evacuate promptly.
Since the evacuation of the tsunami is a matter of moment, the operation started last year as a means to immediately convey information to people near the coast and people with hearing impairments.
When the Japan Meteorological Agency surveyed 421 municipalities nationwide where beaches are located, 114 local governments answered that they are using or preparing to use the'tsunami flag', accounting for 27% of the total. ..
Looking at the local governments that answered "utilizing or preparing" by prefecture, Kanagawa prefecture had the largest number at 13, Shizuoka prefecture at 9, Iwate prefecture at 7, Chiba prefecture at 6, etc. , One local government also answered that they did not plan to introduce it in Osaka and Kyoto prefectures.
Regarding the background of the slow introduction, the Japan Meteorological Agency says that it is difficult to secure people to wave the "tsunami flag" in small beaches and places where life savers are not resident.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says, "We will introduce the guidelines for the tsunami flag to local governments and promote efforts to popularize them, and we will work with the Japan Lifesaving Association to secure human resources."
Introduced in all local governments with beaches in Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture, which is known for being one of the leading beaches in Japan such as Shonan and Miura Peninsula, has introduced the "tsunami flag" in all local governments that have beaches.
In the background, there is an initiative called "Orange Flag" that has been independently promoted in the prefecture for some time.
"Orange Flag" is an initiative in which when a tsunami warning or a large tsunami warning is announced, life savers at the beach and staff of surrounding facilities wave an orange flag to call on people in the sea to evacuate from the tsunami. ..
In the Great East Japan Earthquake 10 years ago, the owner of a surf shop waving a racing flag on the coast of Kamakura City to inform him of the danger of a tsunami, and it became widespread in the prefecture.
In Kanagawa Prefecture, taking advantage of this initiative, the flag is changed from "orange" to "red and white".
A person in charge of Kanagawa Prefecture said, "We promoted the spread in cooperation with the local marine sports federation, and all the local governments in the prefecture where the beach is located had decided in advance who would wave the flag, so we introduced the" tsunami flag ". I was able to proceed smoothly. "