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Japan finds another gap in its disaster readiness - Mt Fuji

30 Comments
By Sophie Knight

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Will we now get a chorus of "Bury Mt. Fuii! Now!"...?

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Japan had no plan

The government has never included Mt Fuji in its earthquake scenarios

They have said they are going to do something but they have not got their act together so far

Part of the problem is the fractured nature of Japanese bureaucracy, with a division between the teams planning for

We do not include an eruption at Mt Fuji in our earthquake scenarios because we simply do not know know whether a quake would cause one or notearthquakes and eruptions.

Tokyo University and executive director of the Crisis and Environment Management Policy Institute, said the government had so far failed to set up sufficient defences against even its own worst-case scenario.

Local communities most at risk have been reluctant to discuss such a scenario in the past, concerned it would impact tourism

Japan has never learned anything from Fukushima Nuke disaster. Never say "never". The worst case scenario did happend to Fukushima. Be aware and prepare yourself for the worst scenario. Do not stay in denial. Better to be ready and prepared for the worst scenario than being sorry at the end. This story reminds me a history of City of Pompeii-Italy buried under ashes.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Sendai-Fukushima disaster would be nothing compared with what Fuji-san can do...

0 ( +2 / -2 )

“The government has to prepare for a logistical nightmare,” he said. “They’ve said they are going to do something but they haven’t got their act together so far.”

Why am I not surprised...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Fuji wouldn't dare erupt again. Or would it?

1 ( +2 / -0 )

And is this a real shock to think that Japan had no plans in place to deal with a disaster of this type... Hardly surprising in the light of other recent disasters and the woeful way they where dealt with.

If Fuji did erupt we would probably get the same inane line "no immediate health concerns"from the same inane clowns that brought us the Fukushima fiasco

7 ( +6 / -0 )

I remember the first time I was in Japan, I mentioned that Fuji-san was extinct. I was corrected by Hattori-san, "not extinct, dormant." Every time I see Fuji-san now I wonder what would happen if it erupted. I wouldn't want to be in Odawara.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Japan has never learned anything from Fukushima Nuke disaster. Never say "never". The worst case scenario did happend to Fukushima. Be aware and prepare yourself for the worst scenario. Do not stay in denial. Better to be ready and prepared for the worst scenario than being sorry at the end.

...or leave Japan?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I don't really understand the science of this. I've heard of volcanoes causing earthquakes but I don't know much about how earthquakes can cause volcanoes.

Earthquakes can be both precursors to a volcanic eruption or precipitate a volcanic eruption by raising the pressure in the volcano's magma chamber. So they can be a symptom of volcanic activity and they can cause an already existing volcano to erupt sooner than it would have.

Large earthquakes have been recorded, historically, a few months or years before major volcanic eruptions such as the 1707 Fuji eruption (Hoei eruption) and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79.

Mount Fuji definitely has to be closely monitored for the next couple of years. Although a few years more wouldn't hurt. Plus, they just reported it's magma chamber had an increase in pressure after the 2011 earthquake.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I don´t know if actually there is a nuclear reactor in the way between Fuji-san and Tokyo but if someone saw Dreams of Kurosawa, one of the dreams was concerning a nuclear disaster provoked by a strong eruption of Fuji-san... know that even without eruption the economical/ecological disaster could be really big... but the picture from the master of japanese cinema is there...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Obviously one can not continue to perform and live a stable lifestyle under constant readiness for disaster. That is one reason why a system is needed where the government dedicates and devotes enough time and resources to assure the safety and security of the people.

As for those in doubt as to whether volcanoes and earthquakes are related... there is no doubt that they ARE related. Plate tectonics has proven that. What is not certain is the relationship on the "occurrence" of one affecting the other. However, in Japan as with all the rest of the world, "denial" of the relationship will certainly lead to disaster.

For Japan where faults and volcanoes are not only close but attached to each other, the relationship can be mush more immediate than presumed or publicized. The problem is that the government's so called experts have NOT been on top of it all. (Such is the life and history of our so called "public servants" in Japan.)

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The violent eruption of Mt. St. Helens in the US was preceded by earthquake swarms allowing for the evacuation of most residents(some refused to leave and died), however the area waa sparsely populated. The area around Mt. Fuji is much more populated and heavily visited. When it goes, it'll be calamitous.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

man.. i have got to stop reading the news these days..

1 ( +1 / -0 )

All is well. If Fuji blows, all the nearby airports will be shut down. Imagine the roads and trains! I will just stay home with my rabbit!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Is it just me or does the author try to insinuate that japan wasn't or isn't ready for any natural disaster ? The US wasn't ready for Katrina and certainly isn't prepared for the big earthquake due in the Los Angeles basin. Humans are amazingly resilient to catastrophes in that they pick themselves up and deal with the aftermath. It's not like the Japanese don't have seismographs and sensors to detect early warning signs. The important thing is to have evacuation measures for different levels of warnings instead of talking about how much economic loss there will be to a region when the worst case scenario arises.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

wasabizuki.

Most japanese got their emergency kits ready.

Problem is that if Fuji-san erupts it will take out a major manufacturing area(Shizuoka) as well as most of Tokyo. Try moving 30plus million people via the current rail and road infrastructure on short notice.

The impact will be bigger than 3/11 by a large magnitude.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No need for a disaster plan - it is inconceivable that Mt Fuji, one of the world's largest volancoes, could ever erupt. If it does erupt, no one should be held responsible for lack of planning for such a nigh on impossible event.

In reality all that can be done is to have an effective evacuation plan in place. Is there? History shows that Japan can become immobilised when faced with unexpected events. Rather than springing into action, it is paralyzed by indecision.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

How close is Tokyo to Fuji-san? From Tokyo Tower it looks quite far... I could also see it from Nagareyama in Chiba, so maybe it's just BIG? I mean how much of Tokyo would be affected by an eruption?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What plans can you really have when living in an earthquake prone land? The truth is, certain portions of the world should never have been permanently occupied. The only way it will change, is for these places to be totally destroyed. Preparation? It's like saying, "are you prepared for the many ways that you can expire"?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@sexuallyfrustrated What's FOAD? Sorry, I don't speak dickhead.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How close is Mt.Fuji to Tokyo, well if it did erupt, how about...TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT!!! Ask anybody who has ever lived near active volcanoes, just the smoke, ash etc..big, big pain in the neck.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

As Japan Gal posted, all of the airports would be shut down in the entire greater Tokyo area. You can not FLY PLANES in the smoke and ASH that volcanoes produce, just ask the folk who made the mistake of flying over the mess in Indonesia a few years back. A 747 jumbo jet or a few of them lost power in mid flight because the smoke, ash etc..from volcanoes are horrible for jet engines, muy peligroso amigos!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Volcanic-ash-downfall_map_of_Mt.Fuji_Hoei-eruption01.jpg

The link is to a map of the ash pattern of the Hoei eruption.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If only the energy released when a volcano erupts could somehow be harnessed... we would never have to worry about nuclear plants, or power rationing, or Cool Biz, or setsuden, etc., etc. ever again.

That's what I'd like to see research money poured into. Nature itself produces so much energy; it's up to us humans to figure out how to use it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If only the energy released when a volcano erupts could somehow be harnessed... we would never have to worry about nuclear plants, or power rationing, or Cool Biz, or setsuden, etc., etc. ever again.

Great idea, we'd have a million times more energy than we needed directly after the eruption, and then a thousand years of darkness until the next one.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

OK, what do you think geothermal means...... Onsens are the surface manifestations of the geothermal process going on under ground. But if you drill down you will hit HOT water in most places in Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Good article, JT, and great link, Himajin.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"The government has to prepare for a logistical nightmare,” he said. “They’ve said they are going to do something but they haven’t got their act together so far."

I'm just imagining the reaction members of the panels who have been assigned to this task: mendokusai.

And if and when an earthquake/eruption combination hits, the new reaction would be: souteigai.

Wait ... didn't we experience a rare tsunami/nuclear meltdown combo last year? I totally forgot.

{end sarcasm}

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Glad you found it useful, Nessie. I was in the US and didn't revisit this thread until today, sorry about that!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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