What do people get wrong about torches, radios and power in a Japanese disaster kit?
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Every Japanese household disaster checklist starts with a torch and a radio, and newcomers wonder why a radio in the age of smartphones. The 2011 and 2024 earthquakes answered that: the mobile network fails or is throttled, and the phone battery is the most precious thing you own.
The kit and the reasoning
| Item | Why | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Torch — headlamp preferred | Hands free to carry children or move debris; falling glass at night | LED, AA or AAA batteries (the same as the radio), spare set stored separately |
| Radio | Mobile networks were restricted for days after 2011; radio works on batteries; NHK Radio 1 and local FM carry evacuation and supply information | Hand-crank models also charge a phone slowly; AM/FM; check it works every 1 September |
| Power bank(s) | The phone is torch, map, family contact and information — if charged | 10,000–20,000 mAh, kept charged; rotate use so it is never empty |
| Batteries | Torch and radio | Standardise on one size; store 10+ with dates; rotate every 2–3 years |
| Car | A charging point and a radio | Keep the tank at least half full in typhoon and winter seasons |
| Solar / hand-crank | Slow, but indefinite | Backup, not primary |
- After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, carriers restricted voice traffic by up to 70–95%; texts and data worked intermittently. Disaster message boards (171 voice service and web171) exist for this reason and are tested on the 1st of each month.
- Public Wi-Fi "00000JAPAN" is opened free by all carriers in a declared disaster.
- Battery-free LED lanterns that run on salt water and candle-free lighting are sold because candles caused fires after earthquakes; do not use candles after a quake (gas leaks).
[Verify] Traffic-restriction figures with MIC's 2011 communications reports; 171 and 00000JAPAN details with carriers and MIC.
Misunderstanding 1｜The phone is enough
Its battery is the constraint. The radio and torch exist so the phone's charge goes to contact and information, not to lighting a room.
Misunderstanding 2｜Radio is obsolete
Radio worked when networks did not in 2011 and 2024. NHK is legally required to broadcast disaster information; local FM stations relay municipal announcements.
Misunderstanding 3｜A big torch is best
A headlamp is the choice of people who have done it: both hands free, light where you look. A lantern for the room; a headlamp per person.
Misunderstanding 4｜Buy batteries when the typhoon is forecast
They sell out the same afternoon. Store them, one size for all devices, and rotate on Disaster Prevention Day (1 September).
Misunderstanding 5｜Candles are a fine backup
Post-earthquake fires from candles and gas leaks are a documented cause of secondary disaster. LED only; check for gas smell before any flame.
---
Sources
- Cabinet Office — Disaster preparedness: household kit checklist
https://www.bousai.go.jp/kyoiku/keigen/gensai/index.html
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications — Communications in the Great East Japan Earthquake (report) and disaster message services (171 / web171)
https://www.soumu.go.jp/menu_seisaku/ictseisaku/
- NHK — Disaster broadcasting and the role of radio (English)
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
About this article
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
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