Japan is preparing for a massive earthquake
The centenary of the Great Kanto earthquake brings angst, and lessons for the world
Every year on September 1st, Japan’s ministers trek by foot to the prime minister’s office to take part in a crisis simulation. Across the country, local officials and schoolchildren drill for disasters. The date marks the Great Kanto earthquake, a 7.9-magnitude tremor that struck near the capital back in 1923. The ensuing disaster killed at least 105,000 people, including around 70,000 in Tokyo itself, destroyed 370,000 homes and changed the course of Japanese history.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “The Next Big One”
From the September 2nd 2023 edition
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