Natural disasters
In Japan, there is a risk of natural disasters due to typhoons, heavy rain, and earthquakes. Heavy rains may cause rivers to overflow and buildings to be flooded. There is a risk of landslides if there are mountains nearby. It’s a good idea to monitor weather and disaster information on TV and the Internet.
Commonly-used terms in times of disaster
| Advisory (chuihou) |
A prediction to raise attention when a disaster may occur. There are heavy rain, flood, strong wind, and tsunami advisories. |
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| Warning (keihou) | A prediction to raise the alarm when a serious disaster may occur. There are heavy rain, flood, strong wind, and tsunami warnings. |
| Emergency warning (tokubetsu keihou) | A warning informing the public to take actions to protect themselves when heavy rain, etc. is forecast and the risk of a serious disaster is extremely large. |
| Earthquake Early Warning (kinkyu jishin sokuhou) | This system predicts the arrival time and seismic intensity of strong tremors and alerts the various places expected to be affected immediately after an earthquake occurs. Protect yourself before a strong shake hits. |
This website provides disaster-related emergency and evacuation information.
Hyogo Emergency Net (available in 12 languages)
Evacuation information
Evacuation information is issued by Asago City and the Japan Meteorological Agency when a disaster might occur or is already occurring. The greater the number, the more dangerous the situation. When a level 4 alert is issued, you must evacuate to a safe place.
| Level 5 |
Urgently secure safety (from Asago City) |
Take action to protect your life. *This alert is issued when a disaster has already occurred or when there is an immediate danger that one will occur. When it is dangerous to move to an evacuation center now, people on the first floor of buildings must evacuate to the second floor or higher. |
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| Level 4 |
Evacuation order (from Asago City) |
Everyone must evacuate from dangerous locations. *This alert is issued when rivers break their banks or mountainsides collapse. |
| Level 3 |
Evacuation of elderly people etc. (from Asago City) |
People who need time to evacuate must evacuate from dangerous locations. *Check the latest updates on the news. |
| Level 2 |
Heavy rain, flooding, and storm surge advisory (from the Japan Meteorological Agency) |
Prepare for evacuation by checking the actions to take when evacuating on the hazard map. |
| Level 1 |
Early warning information (from the Japan Meteorological Agency) |
A heavy rain or other advisory may be issued in the future. |
Hazard map
A hazard map shows the predicted extent of damage if there is a natural disaster.
They can be viewed on the city or Hyogo Prefecture websites. You can also receive hard copies at the Disaster Readiness and Safety Section.