📢 Nationwide EEW Drill on Nov 5, 10:00

❓ What is happening?

On October 9, 2026, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced a nationwide earthquake early warning (EEW) drill for around 10:00 on Thursday, November 5, 2026. November 5 is Tsunami Disaster Prevention Day and World Tsunami Awareness Day, and the drill is part of those efforts. The Cabinet Office, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and JMA have held this drill twice a year since fiscal 2008, and this is the second round of the current fiscal year. The call to participate goes beyond national agencies and local governments to schools, private companies and individuals. On the day, JMA distributes training EEW (forecasts and warnings) to organizations that have planned a drill, and each organization broadcasts or sounds it through municipal disaster-prevention radio loudspeakers, in-building PA systems, or dedicated EEW receiving terminals. Participants then practice protecting themselves, such as moving to a safe place. An important point: training EEW is generally not broadcast on TV or radio, nor delivered by emergency alert mail / area mail on mobile phones including smartphones. Some municipalities do air training EEW via CATV or community FM, and some send a training-use evacuation-preparation notice by emergency alert mail. If weather or seismic conditions require it, the distribution may be cancelled on short notice and announced promptly on the JMA website. Participating organizations are published progressively on the drill's dedicated page.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Foreign residents in Japan who will be included in drills at work, school or in their neighborhood
• ●Travelers staying in Japan on November 5, 2026
• ●Children at schools or childcare facilities, and their guardians
• ●People working at participating organizations — national agencies, local governments, schools, private companies
• ●Individuals joining on their own using a dedicated receiver, JMA's drill video, or a smartphone

🌏 Impact on foreign residents and visitors

For foreign residents who find Japanese announcements hard to follow, this drill is a safe chance to experience what a real alert looks and sounds like. If you hear a siren or announcement from municipal loudspeakers or your office or school PA system at around 10:00 on November 5, it is a drill, not a real earthquake. Conversely, if your smartphone stays silent, nothing is wrong: training alerts are not delivered by emergency alert mail or area mail. Travelers who know the date and time in advance will not be alarmed by outdoor broadcasts. If your workplace or school sends a notice in Japanese, use a translation app to check whether there will be a broadcast and at what time. On the day it is enough to do what everyone around you does for about one minute — drop low, protect your head, stay still — so language is not a barrier. That one minute of practice supports the few seconds of judgment you get when a real warning arrives.