Tokyo Organizes a Disaster Drill For Foreign Visitors

TOKYO —The Tokyo metropolitan government held a disaster drill on Sunday to test its ability to evacuate foreign tourists safely in the event that a powerful earthquake hits the Japanese capital.

Under the scenario that a magnitude 7.3 quake shook Tokyo at around 8 a.m., staff working at the Tokyo Skytree in Sumida Ward escorted some 120 people playing foreign tourists from the observatory deck to safety outside the 634-meter tower.

When the role-playing tourists arrived at an open space near the tower, staff inquired to their wellbeing through a megaphone equipped with a translating function.

With police and firefighters also taking part, the metropolitan government is stepping up measures to better serve a growing number of foreign visitors to Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

Observing the disaster drill, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike told participants, “We have to take safety measures as we will host people from around the world. Let’s build a safe Tokyo city together, with Tokyoites, business operators and local government working as one.”