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2026-01-01
Earthquake Preparation Guide for Foreigners
Complete earthquake preparation guide for foreigners in Japan. Essential apps, emergency bags, and shelter locations explained in multiple languages.
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2026-05-01Disaster
🌧️ Linear Rainband Forecasts Now 2-3 Hours Ahead! Major Accuracy Boost
Operational from May 2026 — Life-saving info for rainy & typhoon season
2-3h
Lead Time
6x
Improvement
15
Languages
6-9
Months (peak)
❓ What's changing?
The Japan Meteorological Agency can now predict linear rainband (senjo-kousuitai) formation 2-3 hours in advance, up from roughly 30 minutes. Upgraded supercomputers and enhanced observation systems make "significant heavy rain" alerts earlier and more accurate.
🌊 What is a linear rainband?
A phenomenon where successive developed rain clouds line up and dump extremely heavy rain on nearly the same area for hours. Typically 50-300km long and 20-50km wide. It is the primary cause of Japan's annual torrential rain disasters.
🚀 Key improvements
⏰Lead time: 30 min → 2-3 hours (major extension)
🎯Precision: Prefecture level → Municipality level
📱Push alerts: Real-time via weather apps
🌍Multilingual: Foreign-language alerts via Safety Tips etc.
🚨 What to do when a linear rainband alert is issued
- 1Immediately move to a safe place (high ground, 2nd floor+ of a sturdy building)
- 2Get away from underground areas, riversides, and cliffs
- 3Follow municipal evacuation orders (Level 4 = everyone evacuate)
- 4Check Safety Tips / Yahoo! Disaster Alerts for latest info
- 5If you're out, don't force your way home — shelter in a safe place
📱 Disaster apps for foreigners
Safety Tips
Official JTA — Weather warnings including linear rainband alerts in multiple languages
15 languagesNHK WORLD-JAPAN
Official NHK — Emergency news in 17 languages
17 languagesYahoo! Disaster Alerts
Real-time linear rainband & evacuation alerts
Easy Japanese💡 Key points to know
1Linear rainbands mainly occur June-September (rainy/typhoon season)
22-3 hour lead time means you HAVE time to evacuate — act without hesitation
3Know your evacuation shelters in advance (check city website / disaster map)
4Foreigners can use evacuation shelters too — no passport needed
🔗 Related Issues
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2026-01-01
Nankai Trough Earthquake Alert — Action Guide
80 years since the last Nankai Trough earthquake (1946). Guide to pre-evacuation actions when "Caution" or "Warning" alerts are issued. Multilingual leaflets available for foreign residents and tourists.
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2026-01-01
Nankai Trough Earthquake Advisory — What to Do
Nankai Trough earthquake: 80% probability in 30 years. Action guide for Caution & Warning levels. Includes shelter and multilingual leaflet info for foreigners.