Bosai concept part and parcel of living with danger

Disasters can happen without warning. Being prepared and learning what to do in an emergency can help keep you and those around you safe. | AFLO

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Sep 1, 2026

Bosai is a Japanese concept that encompasses all stages of disaster management — from preparedness and risk mitigation to response, recovery and reconstruction. Japan’s unique mix of topography, geology and weather makes it prone to violent acts of nature, from earthquakes and typhoons to torrential rain and tsunami. Each has shaped its approach to bosai, making preparedness a part of everyday life.

Major quakes are commonplace. The most notable ones in the past two decades include the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake and the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. The latest one, a magnitude 7.1 also in Kumamoto, struck on July 28, recording an intensity of 7 — the highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale.

Municipalities have taken various measures and continue to refine them based on the lessons learned. Knowing where to find reliable information and how to use available resources can make a meaningful difference when disasters strike.

Among those who may need additional support are foreign residents and visitors, whose numbers have grown in recent years.

As of January, Japan had more than 4 million foreign residents and an ongoing influx of tourists. Language barriers can make it difficult for these people to obtain crucial information when they are unfamiliar with Japan’s emergency announcements and disaster response system. This makes them saigai jakusha (people who are vulnerable during disasters).

Quakes have brought some of these vulnerabilities into plain view. For example, in the 2016 quake, the Kumamoto City International Center opened an evacuation facility specifically designed to support foreign residents. However, those who were unaware of the facility evacuated to a public shelter instead.

According to accounts from foreign residents who evacuated at the time, notices posted in the shelter were written only in Japanese, leaving those unable to read it confused about where to get food or how to take the next steps in their survival.

Others faced cultural or religious issues. For example, some Muslim evacuees could not eat emergency meals because they contained pork-derived ingredients and were thus not halal.

These cases show that disaster preparedness is not simply about physical infrastructure. Effective communication, cultural awareness and accessible information are equally important. Lessons from past disasters have since prompted Japan to strengthen its preparation with greater attention to the needs of residents from increasingly diverse backgrounds.

Today, the national government offers a range of multilingual services to help residents and visitors access information during emergencies. It provides downloadable leaflets through the Cabinet Office’s disaster management website, such as “Disaster Mitigation Points for Foreigners” and “Helpful Apps and Websites in the Event of Disaster.”

For real-time alerts, the free Safety tips smartphone app managed by the Japan Tourism Agency provides push notifications for Earthquake Early Warnings (the nationwide alert system), tsunami alerts and weather warnings in 15 languages. Where language is the barrier, VoiceTra, a speech translation application supporting 33 languages, can facilitate spoken communication during an emergency. For ongoing day-to-day information, NHK World-Japan — the international service of Japan’s public broadcaster — offers 24-hour English-language news along with a multilingual website offering practical guidance on disaster preparedness and everyday life in Japan.

For structured guidance, the Immigration Services Agency supports foreign residents directly, offering multilingual, downloadable emergency and disaster guidebooks and life-orientation videos through its website.

Local governments are also providing digital resources. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Bureau of Citizens and Cultural Affairs, for example, provides multilingual emergency information on its website. It includes downloadable leaflets on how to respond to disasters and a “help card” that foreign residents can carry with them. The card includes a personal profile section for listing crucial information, such as blood type, medications, medical conditions and emergency contacts. This card can help emergency responders better understand an individual’s needs and also lists emergency phone numbers, such as multilingual toll-free ambulance hotlines and Disaster Emergency Message Dial, a service that operates when regular phone communications are disrupted.

One communication approach that has since come into wider use is the “Yasashii Nihongo” (“Easy Japanese”) method, a simplified style of spoken and written Japanese. Originally developed after the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake to communicate with foreign residents during disasters, Easy Japanese avoids complicated grammar and technical vocabulary in favor of short, clear and direct expressions. Today, hospitals, governments, schools and other public institutions increasingly use Easy Japanese to communicate with anyone who has difficulty understanding Japanese. On the Tokyo Intercultural Portal Site run by the metropolitan government, disaster tips can be found in Easy Japanese. The NHK World-Japan website, which also provides disaster guidance, even has Easy Japanese listed among its language options.

Alongside these communication-focused efforts, disaster measures have advanced at the institutional level, reflecting decades of hard-earned experience that turned Japan into a world leader in disaster preparedness.

In 2022, the metropolitan government launched the Tokyo Resilience Project, a long-term initiative intended to prepare the capital for multiple risks over the coming decades. Aside from temblors, the project addresses a range of hazards including storms, floods, volcanic eruptions, power and communications outages and infectious diseases.

In addition, the newly established Disaster Management Agency is scheduled to launch in November under the Cabinet. It’s mission will be to centralize responsibilities currently shared among several ministries and agencies, allowing it to oversee every stage of disaster management from preparedness and response to recovery and reconstruction, while serving as the nation’s coordinator for calamities.

Japan’s approach to disaster preparedness continues to develop through technological advances and experience, helping to make support and information more accessible to residents and visitors alike. As a Japanese proverb puts it, “Sonae areba urei nashi,” (“If one is prepared, there is no cause for worry”).

In a country where natural hazards are a frequent threat, understanding bosai is one of the most practical ways for individuals to protect themselves and those around them.