Tokyo conducts earthquake evacuation drill for tourists

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Sunday carried out an evacuation drill in case of high intensity earthquakes for foreign tourists, with an eye on the 2020 Olympics that are expected to draw large amount of visitors from abroad.

The drills, which are normal for Tokyo residents, took place at points of tourist interest in the city, including the Tokyo Skytree, the country’s highest manmade structure.

The personnel in the building managed the evacuation of some 120 volunteers who played the role of foreign tourists, and who were directed out from the structure’s observatory, situated at a height of 634m.

During the exercise, which simulated the response to a 7.3magnitude earthquake, the personnel gave instructions for evacuation through megaphones equipped with simultaneous translation systems.

The drill was repeated in other parts of the city and saw the participation of the police and firemen, under the direction of the local government, which seeks to organize more such exercises until the Olympics are held in the city in 2020.

“We have to take safety measures as we will host people from around the world,” Tokyo’s new governor Yuriko Koike said, according to Kyodo agency.

A record 11.7 million foreign tourists visited Japan in the first half of the year, according to the central government, which has set a target of 40 million tourists per year by 2020.

Japan lies in the Ring of Fire, a region witnessing some of the most frequent earthquakes and volcano eruptions in the world, and has strict building codes, emergency protocols and intensive training of citizens in what to do in the event of a temblor.