Disaster preparedness and response

Osaka Prefecture and OFIX have agreed to establish the Osaka Prefectural Multilingual Disaster Support Center to provide helpful multilingual support to foreign residents of Osaka Prefecture during any large-scale disasters.
Based on the agreement, Osaka Prefecture and OFIX will jointly set up and operate the Center when a disaster occurs.

Main Roles of the Multilingual Disaster Support Center

In 2019 OFIX conducted two drills for the Multilingual Disaster Support Center.

On Jan 11 2019 OFIX conducted a drill for its "Multilingual Disaster Support Center" together with Kinki Region Liaison Council of Local Associations for International Relations.

We conducted multilingual telephone counseling training. Participants provided multilingual consultations using a three-way call with interpreters (in English this time).
We also conducted a multilingual information dissemination drill. Volunteers learned how to prioritize information selected by OFIX, based on its importance to non-Japanese speakers affected by the disaster. They created a Japanese source text in Japanese based on their priority ranking, and translated it into multiple languages (English, Tagalog and Korean this time) and simple Japanese.

The media were on site covering the story on the day. Everyone worked with serious expressions in a vibrant atmosphere.

On Jan 17 2019 International Affairs Division of Osaka Prefecture and OFIX conducted a drill for the Osaka Prefectural Multilingual Disaster Support Center.

Osaka Prefecture has conducted an earthquale and tsunami disaster drill annually on January 17th, the date of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. This year, we translated disaster information into multiple languages and posted them on Facebook for the scenario of the Nankai Trough Earthquake occurring at 9:30 am, the Osaka Prefectural Multilingual Disaster Support Center was set up by staff of the Prefectural International Affairs Division and OFIX.

Though we discovered a need to make more specific rules such as how to name a file based on the manual, we were able to apply our experience from previous drills to translate information into 14 languages in a short time.

We regularly conduct practice drills and prepare for effective operations in times of disaster.

Emergency Guide for Foreigners (Earthquake) Published by: Council of Local Authorities for International Relations Osaka Prefectural Government Branch Office)

Osaka Prefectural Government's International Affairs Division has created a "Emergency Guide for Foreigners (Earthquake)" in multiple languages. This booklet is for foreign residents, and may also be used as a model for municipalities to use when developing their own emergency guides. You can download it below:

Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171)

NTT's Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171) service allows you to record and play back voice messages using a telephone (fixed land-line, payphone) to confirm the safety of yourself and others after a large-scale disaster.

• You may be able to use your mobile phone or PHS to call 171, but please check with your telecommunications provider for details.
• Each voice message is up to 30 seconds and will be stored until the end of the service.
• There are basically no usage or call fees. However, please check with your telecommunications provider if you are not with NTT.

The following instructions on Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171) are effective as of May 2016. Since it is subject to change, please check the NTT West/NTT East websites for the latest information.