Sep 14, 2017 (NHK) - The Japanese government has revised its wording of alert messages sent out when a foreign missile is launched in Japan's direction.
The revision comes after many people complained about alerts issued under the J-ALERT national emergency warning system on August 29th when North Korea launched a ballistic missile that flew over Japan. People complained that they did not know where to take shelter.
The previous alerts said "The missile appeared to have flown over skies of this area." The wording in the revised version mentions the last area the missile passed through and the direction it is headed. For instance the revised wording says "The missile seems to have flown over the Kanto region to the Pacific Ocean."
The government also revised the wording of the first transmission of an alert when there is a danger that a missile could hit Japan.
The previous message called on residents to take shelter in solid buildings or underground. The revised alert to be issued will simply say people should take shelter inside buildings or underground.
The government has notified local governments of these changes, and has also posted them on the website of the Cabinet Secretariat. The government will continue to improve its operation of the system.
Source: ANNnewsCH
