Preparing for the Nankai Trough Earthquake: Current Status and Challenges Revealed by Awareness Survey [2024 Edition]

Introduction

In recent years, awareness of earthquake risks has been increasing in the Japanese archipelago due to events like the Noto Peninsula Earthquake and the release of temporary information about the Nankai Trough Earthquake. Shizuoka Prefecture conducts an annual “Prefectural Resident Awareness Survey on the Nankai Trough Earthquake” to understand the current state of residents’ awareness and preparedness for earthquakes. This report summarizes current trends and challenges based on the results of the 2024 survey.

静岡県防災資料一覧｜静岡県公式ホームページ

静岡県公式ホームページ

www.pref.shizuoka.jp

Survey Overview

• Survey Purpose: To understand the awareness of prefectural residents regarding large-scale earthquakes, the implementation status of countermeasures, and changes over time.
• Survey Period: December 2024 – January 2025
• Survey Method: Internet questionnaire
• Number of Respondents: 3,782

Key Findings

• Interest in the Nankai Trough Earthquake:
  • 76.1% of respondents answered “very interested,” maintaining a high level of interest.
  • Interest levels further increased after the release of temporary information.
• Evacuation Behavior in the Event of an Earthquake:
  • 53.3% answered “evacuate immediately upon feeling a tremor.”
  • Early evacuation awareness is high, but slightly lower compared to after the earthquake last year.
• Status of Household Stockpiles:
  • Over 90% have stockpiles of food and drinking water, but only about 60% have portable toilets.
  • The proportion of people with stockpiles for 7 days or more is increasing, but there is a bias in stockpile amounts.
• Awareness of Temporary Information on the Nankai Trough Earthquake:
  • 76.6% answered that they “generally understand the content,” indicating high awareness.
  • Awareness further increased after the release of temporary information.
• Participation in Community-Based Disaster Prevention Organizations:
  • Participation rates in community-based disaster prevention organizations are trending upward, exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels.

Detailed Survey Results

• Interest in the Nankai Trough EarthquakeDue to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake and frequent emergency earthquake alerts, residents’ interest in earthquakes is very high. Interest in the Nankai Trough Earthquake is also similarly high, with 76.1% answering “very interested.” This is a high level compared to past survey results, indicating a high level of crisis awareness among residents.
• Evacuation Behavior in the Event of an EarthquakeRegarding evacuation behavior in the event of an earthquake, the most common response was “evacuate immediately to higher ground or an evacuation building” at 53.3%. However, compared to the survey after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake last year, evacuation awareness has decreased slightly. This suggests that the sense of crisis may be fading as time passes since the earthquake.
• Status of Household StockpilesRegarding the status of household stockpiles, more than 90% maintain high levels of stockpiles of food and drinking water. However, only about 60% have portable toilets, indicating a remaining challenge. In addition, there are biases in stockpile amounts, and while the proportion of people with stockpiles for 7 days or more is increasing, there are still many people with stockpiles for only 1 to 3 days.
• Awareness of Temporary Information on the Nankai Trough EarthquakeAwareness of temporary information on the Nankai Trough Earthquake is very high, with 76.6% answering that they “generally understand the content.” This is thought to be the result of disaster prevention awareness activities by the prefecture and municipalities. However, there are still people who do not know the content, so further outreach is needed.
• Participation in Community-Based Disaster Prevention OrganizationsParticipation rates in community-based disaster prevention organizations are trending upward, exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels. This indicates a growing interest in disaster prevention activities in the community. However, participation rates remain low, so further promotion of participation is needed.

Future Measures

Based on the results of this survey, Shizuoka Prefecture will strengthen the following measures:

• Promoting the Creation of “My Evacuation Plan”:Support the creation of evacuation plans in each household and promote self-help awareness.
• Promoting Household Stockpiling:Recommend stockpiling not only food and drinking water but also portable toilets.
  Encourage increased stockpiling through the spread of the rolling stock method.
• Activating Disaster Prevention Drills and Community-Based Disaster Prevention Organization Activities:Promote participation in disaster prevention drills in the community and enhance mutual aid awareness.
  Support the activities of community-based disaster prevention organizations and improve community disaster prevention capabilities.

Conclusion

It is said that the Nankai Trough Earthquake could occur at any time. It is important to prepare for earthquakes on a daily basis and work on disaster prevention measures in cooperation with family and the community. We hope that the results of this survey will help to raise everyone’s disaster prevention awareness.