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This translation was generated by AI and may contain wording that differs from the facts. Please check the Japanese original or official sources for anything important. Japanese original
Key points
- Since 28 May 2026: advisory = level 2, warning = level 3, danger warning = level 4 (new), emergency warning = level 5. Finish evacuating by level 4.
- Volcano alert levels run from 1 (be aware it is active) to 5 (evacuate); access is restricted from level 2.
- Prepare in three layers: a go-bag, home supplies for 3 days to a week, and a family communication plan.
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Live warnings, typhoon tracks, volcano levels and earthquakes are shown on the interactive map.
Alert levels and what to do (new system since 28 May 2026)
| Level | JMA & other info | Evacuation info (municipalities) | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | Emergency warning / flooding occurring | Emergency safety measures | A disaster is already occurring or imminent. Do whatever best protects your life (move upstairs, to a room away from slopes) |
| Level 4 | Danger warning / flood danger | Evacuation order | Everyone evacuate from dangerous areas. Complete your evacuation by this point |
| Level 3 | Warning / flood watch | Evacuation of older adults and others at risk | Households with older adults, people with disabilities or infants start evacuating. Everyone else get ready |
| Level 2 | Advisory / flood advisory | Check your evacuation plan | Check your evacuation site and route on the hazard map |
| Level 1 | Early warning information (warning-level event possible) | Stay alert | Follow the latest updates. Check your supplies and charge your devices |
Types of JMA warnings and advisories
| Level | Types in force |
|---|---|
| Level 5 Emergency Warning Lives in danger: secure your safety immediately | Snowstorm Emergency Warning · Heavy Rain Emergency Warning · Storm Emergency Warning · Heavy Snow Emergency Warning · High Waves Emergency Warning · Storm Surge Emergency Warning · Landslide Emergency Warning |
| Level 4 Danger Warning Everyone evacuate from dangerous areas | Heavy Rain Danger Warning · Storm Surge Danger Warning · Landslide Danger Warning |
| Level 3 Warning Older adults and others at risk evacuate | Snowstorm Warning · Heavy Rain Warning · Flood Warning · Storm Warning · Heavy Snow Warning · High Waves Warning · Storm Surge Warning · Landslide Warning |
| Level 2 Advisory Check your evacuation plan | Heavy Rain Advisory · Heavy Snow Advisory · Gale and Snow Advisory · Thunderstorm Advisory · Gale Advisory · High Waves Advisory · Snow Melting Advisory · Flood Advisory · Storm Surge Advisory · Dense Fog Advisory · Dry Air Advisory · Avalanche Advisory · Low Temperature Advisory · Frost Advisory · Ice Accretion Advisory · Snow Accretion Advisory · Landslide Advisory |
🌋 Volcano alert levels
| Level 5 | Evacuate |
| Level 4 | Older adults and others at risk evacuate |
| Level 3 | Do not approach the volcano |
| Level 2 | Do not approach the crater |
| Level 1 | Be aware that this is an active volcano |
🎒 Emergency checklist
Grab-and-go bag (stage 1: take it as you leave)
- Drinking water (2–3 × 500 mL bottles)
- Emergency food (1–2 days of ready-to-eat items)
- Power bank and charging cables
- Portable radio (hand-crank or battery)
- Torch, headlamp and spare batteries
- Regular medication, a copy of your medication record, first-aid kit
- Cash (including coins), copies of ID and health insurance card
- Masks, hand sanitiser, thermometer
- Portable toilet bags, toilet paper, wet wipes
- Whistle, work gloves, towel
- Rain gear, warm clothing, foil blanket
- Glasses or contacts, sanitary products, essentials for infants and older adults
Home stockpile (stage 2: sheltering at home for 3 days to a week)
- Drinking water: 3 L per person per day × 7 days
- Food for 7 days (retort pouches, tinned food, rice, portable gas stove and cartridges)
- Secure furniture, apply shatter-proof film to glass, keep things that could fall out of the bedroom
- Portable toilet bags: 5 per person per day × 7 days
- Water bags, jerry cans, cling film, paper plates
- Lanterns, batteries, portable power station
- Check the hazard map for your home's flood depth, landslide zones and evacuation sites
- Know where the breaker is; install a seismic breaker
- Never let your car's fuel tank drop below half
- Pet food and a carrier
Information and communication
- Agree a family meeting point and how to get in touch (171, web171, social media)
- Sign up for your municipality's disaster app and email alerts
- Check your phone is set to receive earthquake early warnings and area alerts
- Walk the route to your nearest evacuation shelter by day and by night
- Check the disaster rules at work or school (stay put if you cannot get home)
- Make sure the family knows where insurance policies, bankbooks and deeds are kept
Major past disasters
| As of | |
|---|---|
| 1923-09-01 | Great Kanto Earthquake (September 1, 1923) M7.9. Around 105,000 dead or missing. Fires magnified the damage; September 1 became Disaster Prevention Day. |
| 1933-03-03 | Showa Sanriku Earthquake and Tsunami (March 3, 1933) M8.1. A tsunami struck the Sanriku coast, leaving around 3,000 dead or missing. Prompted the relocation of villages to higher ground. |
| 1934-09-21 | Muroto Typhoon (September 21, 1934) Its 911.6 hPa at landfall is the lowest pressure ever recorded in Japan. Around 3,000 dead or missing. |
| 1945-09-17 | Makurazaki Typhoon (September 17, 1945) Struck Kyushu and the Chugoku region right after the war ended. Around 3,700 dead or missing, with devastating damage in Hiroshima just weeks after the atomic bombing. |
| 1948-06-28 | Fukui Earthquake (June 28, 1948) M7.1, around 3,800 dead. This earthquake led to the creation of seismic intensity 7. |
| 1959-09-26 | Isewan Typhoon (September 26, 1959) 5,098 dead or missing. A storm surge flooded much of southern Nagoya. Led to the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act. |
| 1960-05-24 | Chile Earthquake Tsunami (May 24, 1960) A tsunami from an M9.5 earthquake on the other side of the globe arrived about 22 hours later. 142 dead or missing in Sanriku and elsewhere. |
| 1964-06-16 | Niigata Earthquake (June 16, 1964) M7.5. Liquefaction toppled apartment blocks and brought down the Showa Bridge. Oil tanks also caught fire. |
| 1991-06-03 | Unzen-Fugendake pyroclastic flow (June 3, 1991) During the first eruption in 198 years, a large pyroclastic flow killed or left missing 43 people, including journalists and volunteer firefighters. |
| 1993-07-12 | Hokkaido Nansei-oki Earthquake (July 12, 1993) M7.8. A tsunami hit Okushiri Island within minutes of the quake, leaving 230 dead or missing. |
| 1995-01-17 | Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (January 17, 1995) M7.3, 6,434 dead. The first recorded seismic intensity 7. Sparked Japan's volunteer movement and the law promoting seismic retrofitting. |
| 2000-03-31 | Mount Usu eruption (March 31, 2000) The eruption was successfully predicted and around 16,000 people evacuated in advance. A "success story" with zero deaths. |
| 2000-09-02 | Miyakejima eruption and island-wide evacuation (September 2000) Continuous release of huge volumes of volcanic gas forced all 3,800 islanders off the island for four years and five months. |
| 2004-10-23 | Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake (October 23, 2004) M6.8, 68 dead. Yamakoshi village was cut off and fully evacuated. The first derailment of a shinkansen in service, on the Joetsu line. |
| 2008-06-14 | Iwate-Miyagi Inland Earthquake (June 14, 2008) M7.2. Massive slope collapses and debris flows around Mount Kurikoma. 17 dead, 6 missing. |
| 2011-03-11 | Great East Japan Earthquake (March 11, 2011) M9.0, the largest ever recorded in Japan. The tsunami left around 18,000 dead or missing, over 22,000 including related deaths. Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. |
| 2011-09-04 | Kii Peninsula floods, Typhoon No. 12 (September 2011) Over 2,000 mm of total rainfall. Numerous deep-seated landslides in Nara, Wakayama and Mie; around 100 dead or missing. |
| 2014-08-20 | Hiroshima landslides (August 20, 2014) Localised torrential rain in the dead of night sent debris flows through residential areas of Asaminami and Asakita wards, killing 77. |
| 2014-09-27 | Mount Ontake eruption (September 27, 2014) A midday phreatic eruption struck hikers with volcanic rocks: 58 dead, 5 missing. Japan's worst postwar volcanic disaster. |
| 2016-04-16 | Kumamoto Earthquakes (April 14 and 16, 2016) Seismic intensity 7 recorded twice within 28 hours. Over 270 dead including related deaths. Kumamoto Castle was badly damaged. |
| 2017-07-05 | Northern Kyushu torrential rain (July 5, 2017) A training rainband over Asakura (Fukuoka) and Hita (Oita) left around 40 dead or missing. |
| 2018-07-06 | Western Japan floods, July 2018 torrential rain Around 230 dead, mainly in western Japan. In Mabi, Kurashiki (Okayama), levee breaches submerged 30% of the town. |
| 2018-09-06 | Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake (September 6, 2018) M6.7, over 40 dead. Massive slope collapses in Atsuma. A "blackout" cut power to all of Hokkaido. |
| 2019-10-12 | Typhoon Hagibis, Typhoon No. 19 (October 12, 2019) Rivers overflowed across wide areas of Kanto and Tohoku, killing over 100. Levees on the Chikuma, Abukuma and other rivers were breached. |
| 2021-07-03 | Atami Izusan debris flow (July 3, 2021) An embankment of fill upstream collapsed, sending a debris flow through a residential area and killing 28. |
| 2024-01-01 | Noto Peninsula Earthquake (January 1, 2024) M7.6, maximum seismic intensity 7. 228 direct deaths, over 500 including related deaths. A major fire in Wajima and coastal uplift of over 4 m. |
Official disaster sources
- Kikikuru (risk distribution maps) — Landslide, inundation and flood risk on a map
- Weather warnings and advisories — Warnings and advisories currently in effect (JMA)
- Typhoon information — Forecast tracks and storm areas (JMA)
- Volcano information for climbers — Volcanic alert levels (JMA)
- Hazard Map Portal — Enter an address to overlay flood, landslide and tsunami projections (MLIT)
- River disaster information — River levels and live cameras (MLIT)
- Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information — Types of information and what to do (JMA)
- Disaster Emergency Message Dial 171 — How to use it and trial days (NTT East)
- Cabinet Office disaster management site — National disaster policy and lessons from past disasters
- Tokyo Stockpile Navi — Enter your household makeup to calculate the supplies you need (Tokyo Metropolitan Government)
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a warning, a danger warning and an emergency warning in Japan?
Since 28 May 2026 the Japan Meteorological Agency's bulletins match alert levels: advisory = level 2 (check your evacuation plan), warning = level 3 (older people and others at risk evacuate), danger warning = level 4 (everyone leaves dangerous areas) and emergency warning = level 5 (take the best action to save your life). Danger warnings are new and cover heavy rain, landslides and storm surge.
What should I do if an earthquake hits while I am in Japan?
Protect your head and wait under a table until the shaking stops; do not rush outside. Near the coast, if the shaking is strong or a tsunami warning is issued, go to high ground at once. Buildings are highly earthquake-resistant and your phone will receive early warnings. In a hotel, follow staff instructions.
What are the emergency numbers in Japan?
Police 110, ambulance and fire 119, with English available. The Japan Visitor Hotline on 050-3816-2787 is 24 hours and multilingual for emergencies, illness and disasters.
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