Practice on an Education and Training Program to Development of Response Literacy to Earthquake Disaster in a Central Business District in Japan

Abstract

This paper discusses an experiential training and education program designed to improve the response literacy in the event of a large-scale earthquake in the Shinjuku station area in Tokyo, which is a central business district representative of Japan. The features of the Shinjuku station area are described, and the activities of the Shinjuku Station Area Disaster Response Measure Committee, made up of businesses and other concerns located in the vicinity of Shinjuku station, as well as the education and training program implemented by the committee to train personnel are introduced. An overview is given of the seminars and workshops given as part of the education and training program in fiscal 2013, targeted at employees of businesses in charge of disaster response. The report then describes the Comprehensive Disaster Preparedness Drill, which was conducted for the purpose of enabling the participants of the seminars and workshops to practice the skills and techniques for disaster response they had acquired, and conducting a comprehensive exercise on disaster response activities within businesses or the area. Finally, the results of a questionnaire survey conducted on the drill participants are discussed.