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© 2013 AFPOfficial sends out missile alert instead of earthquake alert
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© 2013 AFP
37 Comments
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gogogo
Email? Seriously? Email is not an instantaneous message delivery system, no one should be using email for such important alerts. People seem to think that once you press "send" the other person has received it, that simply is not the case.
Please invest in better IT staff or equipment.
therougou
This is why if we do get hit there will be panic...
I happened to be working at my office in Osaka at the time of the earthquake. Being on the 12th floor, it was shaking quite a bit, so we decided to evacuate. Only to find out that we couldn't because all the doors were locked!
After I played with the locks for a bit the security guy eventually came over to see what was going on. We asked how to get out and he responded with something like "we are discussing how to deal with the situation now". Then he asked for our company name and called someone on his walkie-talkie thing to ask if he could let us out.
They went back and forth a few times before the other guy said, "well, if that is the case, I suppose you can let them out". By that time of course we would have been dead if a bigger quake came.
jj1980
Calm down Japan. This is all laughs for right now, but it shows the lack of attention to detail which in high tensions like this and/or war could be right down deadly. Tokyo's 6 minute response is a lot better than Yokohama's 20 min stutter. But still that is minutes too long.
jj1980
Kim Jong Un is probably choking on his snicker bar from laughing hard.
smithinjapan
Well, NK has succeeded again in making the Japanese poop their shorts.
kimuzukashiiiii
um... oops. No Summer bonus for him then?
smithinjapan
Classic! I read about this yesterday morning and chuckled to myself -- it's the kind of paranoia that abounds here and the same as when they mistakenly issued a rocket launch before.
Philippe Sama
Blame yourself and wake up. Japan is supposed to be a democracy but nobody vote. Government and big company are out of control, or worst under mafia control. YOU ALL allow these people to kill you all by nuclear pollution, the lack of seriousness, the stupidity power. Japan have a wonderfull culture, a lot of very clever people, but only stupid criminals control the country. Only japanese can end this underhand dealings. YOU MUST ACT NOW.
hereforever
We've got our safety and well being in the hands of idiots. Seriously, who is running this circus? What is happening to Japan? It seems to be falling apart bit by bit.
Yubaru
Any more? You mean you haven't seen enough to already know? Must still have jet fumes stuck to you. lol!
BurakuminDes
I spoke to a lady last week who genuinely believes North Korea is going to target the Fukushima nuclear plant. I told her not to worry - the japanese government and TEPCO have already done the job for them! As other posters have stated, the evil monarchy over the ditch are probably chuffed with the nervousness theyve whipped up among japanese officials.
bajhista65
That's the system in Japan doing things always by the book without thinking twice and prone to commit errors.
Yubaru
As the bomb explodes over your head and some idiot says, "Oopps I that that was the down button".
Seriously at this level mistakes like that CAN cause people to die and are unacceptable. Whomever was to "blame" should be fired!
some14some
that's why sound was so loud on my keitai denwa(!)
Robert Dykes
A missile alert? What are you going to do? Get under your desk?
sighclops
seriously dude GET SOME SLEEP.
who makes mistakes like that?!
Kapuna
therougou, why is your office doors locked, and from the outside? What do you do in case of a fire?
tmarie
Seriously? This is the SECOND cock up by officials over this matter. Speaks highly of who is in charge in this country. Paranoia is winning here...
mtwildman
Baka!
sillygirl
Holy crap. Hopefully we only have Frick and Frack.....the one last week. Any more of this crap I will know that I am living in a country completely run by idiots.
jj1980
bajhista65 stole the words out of my mouth. That is exactly what I was going to respond to therougou's story with. I'm sure common sense has kicked in with someone over behind these fiascoes. Someone may have pointed out that it may NOT be a good idea of how they had it all set up. But once this rarity happens, it's ignored by the "Oh well forget the common sense route, the book told me different." attitude that is quite unbelievable sometimes. I don't know how many times I've had to deal with robotic by the book loons while I lived in Japan. I'm not saying to not go by the book, but come on people! This is through out all of Japan from listening to robots at a McDonald's to an everyday office worker and disaster officials.
nath
Sorry cant trust it,,I only trust the U.S. bases their messages are much more definitive...and timely when it comes to North Korea...sorry living on base is so much safer...
90292
Forrest Gump pegged them from the start, "Stupid is as Stupid does."
smithinjapan
tmarie: "Japan is a joke when it comes to safety and prevention. I think we all know this by now."
Bang on. Japan's 'safety' and 'prevention' are limited to one week campaigns and even then it's just lip-service.
smithinjapan
This is now an international joke, as it should be. Headlines are reading: "All nerves: Japan issues false NK missile alarm instead of quake alert", etc. Hilarious!
Cortes Elijah
I have to admit its a bit careless to send an email for a missile launch when it was an earthquake.....
therougou
They lock the doors at night, but I didn't know they were locked from the inside on the ground floor. Normally I go through the underground floor, where there is lock release button in the elevator hall. But the only way to get there is via the elevator, which obviously was out of the question. In the end, it was possible to open the door without a key or anything, but it required removing a plastic cover hiding the lock, and then turning the lock a specific way, all which had to be done in pitch-dark conditions with no instructions.
I guess they weren't prepared for something happening in the middle of the night... I know people working security here aren't the brightest of the bunch, but I wish they had at least some common sense.
humanrights
Green button or red?? Blue would do, we don't have a green one.
smithinjapan
I'm trying to remember who it was who posted and chided me for pointing out the obvious paranoia when a news agency cried about a 'missile launch' a full day before NK launched a rocket (and failed), because I want to say 'I told you so'. The person I 'debated' with claimed Japan was fully knowledgable, and made no mistakes, despite the mistakes, so I'm curious about his/her input on this. Note that the original article (not JT, but in general) has been somewhat softened; it makes it sound like he sent a wrong email instead of thinking wrong.
smithinjapan
Oops! This has just made international news. Might change things a bit, though in all probability it'll be called an 'attack on Japanese culture', or something like that. In any case, the only way to get Japan to think about domestic problems is through international embarrassment, so perhaps they might finally think about things.
But this is Japan. The guy will 'retire' to an amakudari job.
jamurai
Can't say I see the funny side of this at all.
bajhista65
As the Japanese would say "BAKA"
LH10
are you sure?...maybe there really was something and the media is just covering up. this alarm probably wasn't a mistake...
Tiger_In_The_Hermitage
Its the media, too much hype get people on their nerves.
smithinjapan
In any case, it's a perfect example of how requirements for a job here are not actual requirements. Maybe this guy can land a job at TEPCO once he 'retires' from his current position.
acemercadophil777
Nobody is perfect, we all commit mistakes