Japan holds nationwide disaster drills

He looks like he's about to drop that dope new hip hop album:

Yung Abe - Disaster Drills

Abe looks like he needs a wee.

The Cabinet dessing in spotless, recently ironed workmen's clothes at times of disaster or during these drills is ridiculous. If a UK politician did this everyone would, rightly, assume they were taking the piss.

Norm,

I was just thinking the same thing.

daito,

Great comments and as usual you are spot on.

Nice pose. He looks like he would be more at home in a skirt.

I disagree. The response to the 2011 was very impressive

You did not understand what I meant in the first place. I was talking more about pre-disaster measures, proactive measures. The Japanese government has been warmed for decades about the risk of a big tsunami in that region and nothing was done about it. Instead tax payer money was spent on useless infrastructures. That's why I call those drills useless, since again they just try to make naive people feel safe. Once a major disaster hits, like a giant tsunami, little can be done. It's too late. That being said, during the 2011 earthquake, the response was nonetheless weak. It was clear that the country did not have the man power and technology to bring assistance to the population. This was even more evident with the nuclear disaster that followed the tsunami.

The government at that time was the democrat party and not the LDP.

Silly remark. The LDP has been in charge of this country for more than 70 years. The democrat party is irrelevant here. What Japan failed to address in order to better protect the population is the responsibility of the LDP, period. They are also responsible of having put in place and supported a deceiving and corrupt nuclear industry, which total ignorance of basic nuclear safety practices almost brought the entire country into a nuclear disaster at unseen scale.

And let's say the truth, during the course of the 2011 events, the LDP wouldn't have done better. They would have done probably worse given their track record of incompetence and they would have lied even more about the situation at Daiichi power plant.

Japan is the country which sets the standards for natural disaster preparedness the world over from holding drills to having evacuation centers to advising citizens to emergency packs ready.

BS. Again 2011 proved that standard to be quit weak. The more recent earthquakes in Kyushu and Hokkaido did the same. Also numerous other countries have measures in place for evacuation and advises for people to prepare for a en event.

In Britain there are no emergency drills even for the flood plains.

The comparison with Britain is silly and makes no sense. Japan has far more natural disaster than Britain, bigger in scale, intensity and frequency. And again, Japan does not seem to have efficient proactive measures. The leak of oil from at a local plant run by Saga Tekkohsho Co. following the torrential rain and the resulting flooding on Wednesday in Saga prefecture is another sign that the nation continues to neglect radical proactive measures that could be taken in areas known for a high risk of flooding.

Hurricane Andrew which hit Florida in 1992 and the Katrina Hurricane in 2005 which hit New Orleans are both times when the U.S. government agencies were very slow to react to the needs of the people experiencing them.

You could say the same for the Kobe earthquake if you want to compare things at that decade.

The 2011 disasters were overwhelming and no nation could have prepared for those.

This is utterly flat wrong. The government was warmed by numerous scientists about the risk of a earthquake in that region a decade before it happened. It was not taken seriously and efficient measure which could have saved life were not taken. One of them was to have an efficient evacuation plan in those areas which did not exist.

In my younger day I was involved in mountain rescue and during the summer months we trained on most weekends because training is important in saving the lives of others and also saving your own life in those rescue moments.

Mountain rescue and having to deal with a disaster with several thousands of causalities are two completely unrelated things. The fact that you are confusing both puts a serious doubt on your proclaimed rescue experience.

I tell you a disaster...that colour coordination.... disastrous!

What's important is to think about what YOU can do - first, to save yourself, and then to help others.

After the 7.2 Kumamoto quakes, I grabbed my dog (there was too much debris for him to walk safely) and found myself in the hive mind - they decided where to go, and I blindly followed. Once I ensured that my wife and dog we're safe, I returned to my house to retrieve my three tents - two quite large - and designated one for the elderly, one for the mothers and children, and the small one for a pregnant woman with a small child.

Setting those up was exhausting, so my dog and I slept in the elderly tent. Help came the next day, mostly in terms of volunteer work. The question is not what the government can do for you, but what you can do for your community. Think about it.

Agree with dbsaiya's plan of simulating a real-life drill, making it high-stakes would make it all the more meaningful and encourage the people to really participate. I wonder if Abe's clothes are meant to be the uniform of government officials during drills? It is better to wear than than a restricting suit is all I can say

Abe looks like he's never even had to pick up a box his whole life.

Honest Abe looks just about right in that get up.  My local janitor would likely look just as good in his PM suit.

The PM and other politicians wear work outfits during disasters and camouflage jackets when visiting SDF camps. Maybe it’s just and Asian thing as I’ve seen Xi and Moon wear cammies and work clothes as well.

The only thing close I’ve seen in the US is the President wearing a cap with the name of whatever aircraft carrier he’s visiting. (Other than Bush II wearing a flight suit)

For believers ( reminder)

Mark 13:8

For nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, there shall be earthquakes in diverse places, there shall be famines, these things are the beginning of the travail.

With what's in the air in that area, I believe Japan is preparing for a multi- dimensional scenario, not just earthquakes.

They had the tsunami evacuation drills at the beaches nearby and nobody moved an inch. I didn't know about these drills so was a little "alarmed" when I heard the sirens go off. Wish the waves were a little tsunami-like since they were so small yesterday.

he's observing he shouldn't be in workman's clothes

Disaster management, it's not happening, it's not happening, foreign media have it all wrong!

OH!!

emergency housing in Lew of compensation for all.

Everything is under control, those bags of tainted soil along the river? Everything is under control.

look I'm just like you. I'm dressed just like you.

Emergencies over, don't talk about it that's a regrettable course of action.

What isn't immediately obvious is that these "drills" are the result of hundreds of thousands of hours of meetings, addresses, meetings to discuss meetings, reports, special committees and the inevitable discussion and compromise. No wonder they bear little resemblance to actuality. Anything involving education has gone through this process.

Unfortunately, when a disaster strikes, it does not follow the disaster planning rule book; and these smartly-clothed oyajis, however well-meaning, will be forced to think and improvise, something that they are not very good at.

Wear The suit, then the task in hand is to delegate.

Leadership!!

Lead, don't t pretend to be anything else

A missed opportunity to reveille the alter ego "Super Mario" he should have donned his overalls and zipped around in a go-cart gesticulating wildly sorting out nothing but finally enjoying himself.

If Abe is showing up THAT alone is a disaster!

LOL!! Brilliant!!!!!

No Sorry

Politicly this is the twenty first century, the Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, that is the Prime Minster of Japan sorts out his attire appropriately.

Shinzo Abe is notm never going to realistically climb onto a crane, this politics is shallow and hollow

Abe's no-brand trainers/sneakers are a disaster.

I saw clips of abe's team in the "situation room" having a video-conference with Morita in Chiba. It's a joke. Training should be as close to reality as possible. My opinion...educate the public for a whole month on TV, the net and printed media about how to prepare and what to expect. Then on that day, it's lights out baby. No power, no water. Purposely cause a traffic jam by diverting traffic and blocking roads. 24 hour Organized chaos training. Then see how the public reacts, gather data and examine what needs to be improved. JSDF and first responders mobilization, emergency medical facilities switching to back up generators, lifeline restoration, hazmat containment, and for businesses, BCP in action. These things need a stress test. Sure people are going to piss 'n moan, but they would have been forewarned for a whole month to prepare so there's no excuse. If they can't handle this exercise, what's going to happen when the Nankai trough earthquake happens? Scientists have already warned the public of its eventuality, and the lessons from 3/11 should not be wasted or the deaths of the thousands that perished would have been for naught.

For heavens sake, KYODO the photo representation could have been a tad more appropriate, Shinzo Abe is not about to break out into song and dance

For some reason this seems to be a thing in Japan, I remember in 2011, huh why are all the politicians wearing overalls and what not.. I guess its suppose to have an 'all together' meaning to it.. but yeah an amusing peculiarity I suppose. Still earthquake drills, serious business for a serious thing.

A good reminder to make sure you have your emergency supplies in order.

If a disaster, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must be at least be dressed properly, this is a suit and tie occasion, the head up moment.

Not appearing as if Prime Minister of Japan is about to mount a fork lift.

What a pose! lmao.

If Abe is showing up THAT alone is a disaster!

Ah. That explains the emergency announcement test on NHK yesterday - first time I'd seen one, I mentioned to my wife, since I was growing up in the US, when they were used to warn of an impending nuclear strike.