Emergencies

Disaster preparation in Japan – getting young people ready

Disaster preparation in Japan – getting young people ready

Japan is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, such as earthquakes and typhoons. Aware of the vital role that communications services play in times of emergency, KDDI runs disaster risk reduction (DRR) literacy courses for high school students across the country.

Young people who attend the workshops learn about the importance of communicating appropriate information in an emergency situation and helping themselves and others. They learn to use a dedicated chat application, which is not for commercial use, to gather disaster information and identify safe evacuation routes and rescue locations on a map.

The disaster literacy course, which was introduced by KDDI in 2017, also provides smartphone tips for day-to-day use. By doing this, KDDI increases both information literacy and disaster literacy among the next generation. In 2018, 98% of participants said they now understood ‘very well’ or ‘well’ the importance of good communication in disaster scenarios and other issues covered on the course.

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