It was later discovered that when a ballistic missile was launched from North Korea on the 4th, a J-Alert calling for vigilance was mistakenly issued to the islands of Tokyo. Not a single person fled to the designated evacuation facility, so there was a problem with the evacuation method.
On the morning of the 4th, when a ballistic missile was launched from North Korea, a J-Alert calling for vigilance was issued to Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures, as well as nine towns and villages on the Tokyo islands. It turned out to be a mistake.
In order to reduce direct damage from blasts caused by missiles, etc., the metropolitan government is proceeding to designate concrete buildings, underground malls, and other sturdy facilities as "emergency temporary evacuation facilities" based on the law. It is said that by last month, temporary evacuation destinations for the population of 14 million people in Tokyo had been secured.
Of these, there are 32 facilities in Oshima Town, where a J alert was issued on the 4th, but according to the town, not a single person fled to a designated evacuation facility immediately after the J alert was issued. about it.
Toshihiro Mitsuji, Mayor of Oshima Town, said, "We have been trying to make people aware of evacuation behavior, but I felt that it was extremely difficult to evacuate to the facility in just a few minutes."
On the evening of the 4th, the town posted an evacuation manual on the town's website, and plans to conduct drills in the future to raise the awareness of townspeople in the event of an emergency.
Some people find it difficult to evacuate to evacuation facilities
Some people think that it is difficult to evacuate to an "emergency temporary evacuation facility" to reduce direct damage from blasts caused by missiles.
Kaori Kikuchi, who lives in the Sashikiji district of Oshima, in the southern part of the island, was doing household chores in her home's kitchen when J-Alert was issued on the morning of April 4.
She said that after her cell phone rang with a loud noise, an announcement calling for protection was heard throughout the district over the emergency radio system.
However, Ms. Kikuchi couldn't comprehend what had happened and she saw on TV that a missile had been launched.
Although Kikuchi felt uneasy that Oshima Town was in the area covered by J-Alert, she decided to stay at her home because she could not think of going outside and evacuating. .
She just thinks that in retrospect it was difficult for her to evacuate to the facility.
The nearest community center designated by the metropolitan government as an "emergency temporary evacuation facility" is about 1 kilometer from her home in Kikuchi.
It takes about 20 minutes to walk, and her mother-in-law, who lives with her, uses a wheelchair. .
Kikuchi said, "Even if I was told to evacuate immediately, I quickly realized that my body wouldn't move. Considering the current situation, I feel uneasy, but I think I have no choice but to stay at home and away from the window. It was a false alarm, but I would like to take this opportunity to think about how to evacuate and protect myself."