2009/08/28
Glimpses of Japan（外国人から見た日本）
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Glimpses of Japan (外国人から見た日本)
vol.254 Unshaken
2009.8.28
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Early last Tuesday, subway and other train services were briefly halted just
before the morning rush hour, because the Japan Meteorological Agency issued
a false alarm about a strong earthquake expected immediately in Tokyo and its
vicinity. The alarm was sent to various places, including to many people's cell
phones; some of the cell phone owners were surprised because they didn't even
know their phones had the capability. The false warning, issued around 6:37 a.m.,
although only an imperceptible jolt had just occurred, seems to have been caused
by a software problem. The data transmitted by one station in the system was 21
times the actual value.
Tokyo Metro suspended services on eight of its subway lines for between two and
nine minutes, but returned to normal service by 8 a.m., and although some other
train services were also slightly affected, Japan Railways, including the shinkansen
bullet train services, was not affected because JR's own alarm system did not
register a strong earthquake.
The temblor alert system is supposed to issue a warning when a strong earthquake
with a seismic intensity of at least lower 5 on the Japanese scale of 7 is forecast,
based on minor initial tremors detected by seismometers. Ideally, the warning is
early enough to give people time to open their apartment doors, dive under tables,
or whatever they can do for self-protection in considerably less than a minute.
That's not really a lot of time, but it's better than no warning at all. Some of
the people interviewed by news reporters, and some of the news announcers or analysts,
were very critical of the false alarm and the scare it gave some people.
Personally, I think I'd rather have a false alarm and no earthquake than no warning
and a rocking and rolling surprise.
Glimpses of Japan vol.254
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