Following a deadly earthquake that rocked Japan’s northeastern areas, policymakers are facing the urgent challenge of grasping the scale and details of the damage and providing policy support to help the recovery of affected people and communities.

Late on the evening of March 16, the magnitude-7.4 quake struck off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, causing deaths and many injuries mainly in the northeastern Tohoku region, where a maximum intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7 was recorded.

Damage and disruptions have been reported in wide areas. The central government needs to work closely with the local administrations involved to make effective responses to the disaster.

A notable number of cases have been reported where people were injured after falling or being struck by falling objects. Furniture and electric appliances at home could pose serious dangers during an earthquake.

This quake should inspire families across the nation to review potential risks in their houses and take measures to prevent them from falling or flying off shelves and hitting the floor.

Infrastructure underpinning social and economic activities has also suffered serious damage.

Especially shocking was the derailment of the Tohoku Shinkansen’s Yamabiko 223, which was carrying 75 passengers. It was the first derailment of a bullet train while in service since 2004, when the Chuetsu earthquake in Niigata Prefecture caused a Joetsu Shinkansen to run off the rails.

While the 17 train cars remained upright, 60 axles on 16 train cars came off the tracks.

It is believed that JR East’s urgent earthquake detection and alarm system recognized the shaking just after the Shinkansen started slowing as it was approaching Shiroishi-Zao Station in Miyagi Prefecture.

It sent an automatic stop signal to the Shinkansen’s safety system, triggering the emergency brake on the train.

The system to prevent major accidents during quakes appears to have worked. But it could have been a disastrous accident if the quake had occurred at a different time when the train was running at full speed. It is hard to feel reassured.

Near the derailment site, bridge piers for the Shinkansen line were badly damaged, while the rails were distorted. East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) needs to work with the government’s Transport Safety Board to identify the causes of the accident and review the anti-seismic reinforcement measures that have been installed for any shortcomings.

The railway operator should report on its findings.

JR East is not alone, of course, in facing the risk of a massive earthquake. To prepare for the predicted mega-quake along the Nankai Trough off the Pacific coast, one big challenge is ensuring the safety of high-speed trains running on the Tokaido Shinkansen line.

Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tokai), which operates the Tokaido Shinkansen line, and other railway operators should glean lessons from the derailment accident for their own efforts to ensure safe operations during quakes.

Only a year ago, in February last year, a strong earthquake that registered a maximum intensity of upper 6 occurred off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture. These two quakes probably dredged up painful memories of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake in the minds of many people.

Major sources of concern are the nuclear power plants sited along the Pacific coast in northeastern Japan, particularly the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

Leaks of contaminated water or radioactive materials from the ruined plant must be averted at any cost. Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant, must make every effort to ensure nuclear safety through rigorous inspections of the complex.

The tremor caused power outages in wide areas, not just in the Tohoku region but also in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Lifeline utilities such as electricity, water and gas suppliers need to check their systems to determine if the quake has revealed any vulnerabilities so that there will be no serious disruptions in vital infrastructure services during disasters.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory for Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. Local governments in these prefectures need to examine how people responded to the advisory issued late at night.

They should use the findings to take steps to help people protect their lives, such as improving ways to alert local residents to such advisories and warnings and securing evacuation routes for various situations.

There is no knowing when an earthquake will hit. The only rational approach to preparing for the risk of quakes is to make steady and continuous efforts to minimize the damage.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 18