January 17, 2023 Implementation of Disaster Preparedness Drills to Secure Telecommunications Services in the Event of Large-Scale Natural Disasters

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) will conduct combined drills with local governments and telecommunications carriers to enhance and strengthen the framework for the prompt restoration of telecommunications services in the event of a large-scale natural disaster.

1. Background and purpose

In recent years, typhoons, earthquakes, torrential downpours, and other large-scale natural disasters have caused tremendous damage to telecommunications services, including landline and mobile phones, which are a major part of the infrastructure of daily life for the public.
Given that municipal and prefectural government offices serve as key bases for disaster response, it is particularly important to swiftly ascertain the extent of the damage to the telecommunications services at such bases and undertake emergency repairs, to ensure that activities such as saving lives and supporting evacuees can be carried out unhindered.
To restore telecommunications services promptly in the event of a disaster, it is crucial to swiftly secure power and fuel, and clear roads leading to damaged telecommunication facilities without delay. As such, key tasks include working with power companies and fuel suppliers to secure electric power and fuel, and working with road managers to deal with fallen trees and the like.
Accordingly, MIC will hold a drill based on a first response scenario in which MIC and other national organizations work with local governments in a disaster-afflicted area and telecommunications carriers to address these tasks in the wake of a large-scale natural disaster.

2. Outline of drills

1. Combined drill focused on securing electric power

Areas and schedule:

1. 1.
   Kanto region (Chiba Prefecture: storm and flood disaster)
   From 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 10, 2023
2. 2.
   Shikoku region (Ehime Prefecture: major earthquake)
   From 1:00 p.m. on Monday, February 13, 2023

Disaster scenario: Telecommunications services have been adversely impacted by widespread power outages in the city due to a storm and flood disaster or major earthquake. Accordingly, MIC, telecommunications carriers, local governments, and power companies will collaborate in a combined drill focused on securing the electric power required for a base station by swiftly restoring the power supply, to facilitate the prompt restoration of a mobile phone base station that has stopped transmitting due to the power outage.

Participating organizations: MIC (headquarters, Kanto Bureau of Telecommunications (Kanto region drill only), and Shikoku Bureau of Telecommunications (Shikoku region drill only)); Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Chugoku Shikoku Industrial Safety and Inspection Department (Shikoku region drill only)); Chiba Prefecture (Kanto region drill only); Ehime Prefecture (Shikoku region drill only); Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation (Kanto region drill only); Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation (Shikoku region drill only); NTT Docomo Inc.; KDDI Corporation; Softbank Corp.; Rakuten Mobile, Inc.; TEPCO Power Grid, Inc. (Kanto region drill only); and Shikoku Electric Power Transmission & Distribution Company, Inc. (Shikoku region drill only).

2. Combined drill focused on dealing with fallen trees

Area: Tokai region (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)
Schedule: From 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Disaster scenario: Telecommunications services have been adversely impacted by widespread power outages in the city and the collapse of utility poles and severing of transmission lines by fallen trees due to a major earthquake. In addition, fallen trees and landslides have made roads impassable, impeding the restoration of a mobile phone base station and telecommunications building, among other facilities. Accordingly, MIC, telecommunications carriers, and local governments will collaborate in a combined drill focused on swiftly clearing prefectural and municipal roads blocked by fallen trees and landslides by dealing with the fallen trees, etc., to facilitate the prompt restoration of the mobile phone base station and telecommunications building.

Participating organizations: MIC (headquarters and Tokai Bureau of Telecommunications); Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Chubu Kinki Industrial Safety and Inspection Department); Shizuoka Prefecture; Hamamatsu City; Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation; NTT Docomo Inc.; KDDI Corporation; Softbank Corp.; Rakuten Mobile, Inc.; and Chubu Electric Power Grid Co., Inc.

3. Combined drill focused on securing fuel

Area: Tohoku region (Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture)
Schedule: From 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 26, 2023

Disaster scenario: Telecommunications services have been adversely impacted by widespread power outages and severed transmission lines in the city due to a major earthquake. Accordingly, MIC, telecommunications carriers, local governments, and power companies will collaborate in a combined drill focused on swiftly procuring the fuel required for vehicle-mounted generators and the like, to facilitate the prompt restoration of a mobile phone base station that has stopped transmitting due to the power outage.

Participating organizations: MIC (headquarters and Tohoku Bureau of Telecommunications); Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Chubu Kinki Industrial Safety and Inspection Department); Shizuoka Prefecture; Hamamatsu City; Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation; NTT Docomo Inc.; KDDI Corporation; Softbank Corp.; Rakuten Mobile, Inc.; and Chubu Electric Power Grid Co., Inc.

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  The drills may be conducted online to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

3. Content of drills

The scenarios involve the dispatch of liaison personnel from MIC (headquarters and regional bureaus of telecommunications) and telecommunications carriers to disaster response headquarters established in the area affected by the disaster in the scenario.
As part of the drill, the dispatched liaison personnel will hold telecommunications liaison and coordination meetings, and gather, analyze and share information about the extent of the impact on telecommunications services. In addition, the participants and experts will discuss approaches to identifying issues and considering countermeasures in relation to matters related to securing power and fuel, and dealing with fallen trees to facilitate the prompt restoration of mobile phone base stations and telecommunications buildings, and also approaches to coordination with relevant organizations.