It does not decrease over time, but rather new unknown people are added.
It caused confusion by indicating the address of the place of return instead of the home of a person whose safety was unknown while returning home.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 10th that the number of people who cannot be contacted due to the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, is not decreasing, and that the lack of local government staff and the deteriorating communication environment are factors that are making it difficult to determine the actual situation.
The Japanese government calls missing people, whose safety is unknown, as it is unknown whether they were involved in the disaster and cannot be contacted. Regarding the announcement of the safety of unknown persons in the event of a disaster, the Japanese government established guidelines in March last year to encourage local governments to promptly make announcements without family consent.
In order to narrow down search targets for those whose safety is unknown, it is recommended to consider proactive public announcement based on ‘within 72 hours of occurrence’, when the survival rate of victims is rapidly decreasing. The information announced is four items: name, address, age, and gender. However, cases where viewing of the Basic Resident Register is restricted based on reports from residents or victims of domestic violence, stalkers, etc. are excluded.
Ishikawa Prefecture’s “Standards for publishing the names, etc. of unknown persons in the event of a disaster” stipulates that information (name, address, age, gender) of unknown persons be announced one by one with a target of approximately 48 hours from the occurrence. In the Noto Peninsula earthquake, the list of 15 people was first revealed late at night on the 3rd, 55 hours after the event.
In addition to receiving reports from the 19 local governments within the prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture prepares a list of people whose safety is unknown based on inquiries from other prefectures.
After the 5th, the list is updated twice a day, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The structure is such that names are deleted from the list in three patterns: when it is confirmed that the person is safe based on reports from the person himself, his family, or acquaintances, when it is confirmed that he suffered a disaster and is classified as a ‘missing person’, and when death is confirmed.
In past disasters, the number of people whose safety was unknown decreased over time, but this time, even a week after the incident, new unknown people are coming to light one after another. As of 2 p.m. on the 8th, the list numbered 323, an increase of more than 200 since 9 a.m. that day. However, at 9 a.m. the next day, the 9th, the number decreased to 120.
There were cases where survivors were listed as those whose safety was unknown. According to Yomiuri, a man in his 70s from Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, heard from his friend that his name was included in the list of persons whose safety is unknown the prefecture published the day before. A man in his 70s, whose home was destroyed by the earthquake and who was staying in a nearby shelter, was said to have been immediately removed from the list after informing an acquaintance that he was safe.
Yomiuri said, “In Wajima City, which accounts for most of the increase/decrease in the safety of unknown people, there was a shortage of staff due to the impact of the disaster, and the work to respond to information on unknown people received and check whether they were really residents by comparing them with the basic resident register was stagnant.” “The work is slowly catching up with the increase in staff members providing support from the prefecture, etc., and in the past few days, the number of announcements has increased and is leading to confirmation of whereabouts,” the report said.
However, Yomiuri reported that disaster-stricken local governments are having difficulty identifying unknown people because the poor communication environment has not been improved. Even in Suzu City, which suffered damage from the tsunami, the actual number of human casualties is not known.
There are many people who are returning home or traveling for the year-end and New Year holidays, and how to identify and publicize unknown people outside of Ishikawa Prefecture remains an issue.
In Ishikawa Prefecture, when registering a person whose safety is unknown while returning home, the address of the place of return is indicated, not the home address. For example, Yomiuri pointed out that the address of a person who was returning from Tokyo to Wajima City is also considered to be ‘Wajima City’, so even if the person or an acquaintance looks at the list, there is a possibility that the person may be recognized as a different person with the same name.
Meanwhile, Ishikawa Prefecture has not disclosed the name or age of the deceased.
This is because the ‘Standards for Publication of Names, etc.’ stipulates that the consent of family members, etc. is required for publication. However, if the name of the deceased is not disclosed, relatives and acquaintances will not be able to know the safety of the deceased, which will ultimately lead to a situation where local governments, etc. are flooded with inquiries. Yomiuri reported that there are concerns.
Professor Naoya Sekiya (disaster information) at the University of Tokyo’s Disaster Prevention Information Research Center said, “Publicizing the safety of unknown people is the top priority for local governments in the event of a disaster, but depending on the damage situation, it may not proceed as smoothly as this time.” He added, “The prefecture (metropolitan government) “Ina municipalities (local governments) need to prepare, considering that they may not be able to secure sufficient staff,” he told Yomiuri.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.