Osaka Holds Earthquake Drill for 8.8 Million People
Listen to the story
Osaka Prefecture carried out a large disaster drill today, involving about 8.8 million people.
The exercise is held every year on Japan's Disaster Prevention Day.
It prepared residents for a massive earthquake linked to the Nankai Trough.
The Nankai Trough is a deep underwater zone off Japan's Pacific coast.
Scientists say a huge earthquake could happen there in the future.
At 10 a.m., phones across Osaka Prefecture sounded together in a special emergency alert.
This alert, sent as an "area mail," can ring even if a phone is on silent mode.
The message told people to imagine that a huge earthquake had struck.
The drill also included practice for a tsunami, a large and dangerous ocean wave.
Instructions asked people to "hide your body under the desk" for safety.
This is a common evacuation action used during earthquake drills in Japan.
Osaka's Governor Yoshimura visited a site to observe the initial response to the alert.
He watched how officials and residents reacted right after the emergency message arrived.
The drill aims to test communication systems and improve public readiness.
Local officials hope such exercises will reduce confusion during a real emergency.
Because the Nankai Trough earthquake is considered a serious future risk, regular training like this is seen as important for public safety in the region.
Vocabulary6 words
- disaster
- a very bad and damaging event
- Nankai Trough
- a deep undersea area near Japan where earthquakes may start
- emergency alert
- a sudden warning message sent to phones
- tsunami
- a very large and dangerous sea wave
- evacuation
- moving to a safe place during danger
- initial response
- the first actions taken right after something happens
Quiz
Answer key
1. A huge earthquake linked to the Nankai Trough 2. It can ring even in silent mode 3. He observed the initial response
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Osaka Prefecture carried out a large _____ drill today, involving about 8.8 million people.
The exercise is held every year on Japan's _____ Prevention Day.
It prepared residents for a massive earthquake linked to the _____ Trough.
At 10 a.m., phones across Osaka Prefecture sounded together in a special emergency _____.
This alert, sent as an "area mail," can ring even if a phone is on _____ mode.
The drill also included practice for a _____, a large and dangerous ocean wave.
Instructions asked people to "hide your body under the _____" for safety.
Osaka's Governor Yoshimura visited a site to observe the initial _____ to the alert.
The drill aims to test communication systems and improve public _____.
Because the Nankai Trough earthquake is considered a serious future risk, regular _____ like this is seen as important.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think Japan holds large-scale disaster drills like this one every year?
- How might emergency alerts on phones help save lives during a real earthquake?
- What other safety actions do you know for earthquakes or tsunamis?
- Do you think officials visiting drills, like the governor did, is useful? Why or why not?