🚨 Missile Evacuation Drills: 19 Planned in FY2026

❓ What was announced?

On September 18, 2026 (Reiwa 8), the Fire and Disaster Management Agency under Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that the national government and a local government have decided to jointly hold a resident evacuation drill based on a ballistic-missile scenario. The municipality taking part and the date are listed in the attachment to the press release. The announcement also states that a total of 19 drills, including this one, are planned for fiscal year 2026. The drills are part of Japan's "civil protection" (kokumin hogo) framework, which is designed to protect residents from armed attack and terrorism. Civil-protection evacuation drills are planned jointly by the Cabinet Secretariat, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and prefectural and municipal governments, and are held in different parts of the country each fiscal year. In a missile-scenario drill, residents receive an alert through J-Alert (the nationwide instant alert system) and then physically move into a sturdy building nearby or underground. What makes this release notable is that it presents both the decision on one specific drill and the plan for 19 drills across the year. The drills happen in specific localities, but the alert system and the recommended evacuation behaviour are the same nationwide.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Foreign residents living in the municipality where a drill is held (check the attachment for the location)
• ●All foreign residents in Japan — the J-Alert system works the same way nationwide
• ●Tourists and business travellers who happen to be in the area on the day of a drill
• ●Employers of foreign workers and staff at schools or organisations hosting international students and trainees

🌏 Impact on foreign residents and visitors

On the day of a drill, loud alert tones come from outdoor loudspeakers and from emergency alert messages on mobile phones. Foreign residents and tourists who are not comfortable in Japanese may mistake this for a real attack and panic unnecessarily. Civil-protection drills are normally announced as drills in the broadcast itself, but the wording is often mainly in Japanese, so it is worth checking your city or ward's website or newsletter in advance for the date. The second issue is whether the alert reaches you at all. J-Alert emergency messages are received by default on most handsets sold in Japan, but phones brought in from abroad sometimes do not receive them. Visitors should therefore also pay attention to announcements from their hotel and to outdoor loudspeakers. Seen from the other side, a drill is one of the few chances to actually work out where you would go if a real alert sounded.