Support for every aspect of people’s lives — Embodying the motto “FOR SAFETY FOR SOCIETY”

March 11, 2011 will be forever etched in the memories of the Japanese people. The unprecedented catastrophe that struck the Tohoku region that day resulted in a renewed focus on the role played by the disaster prevention administrative radio system. For many people, the term disaster prevention administrative radio system no doubt evokes an image of loudspeakers mounted on steel poles in towns urging people to evacuate. This system is also used for the national early warning system (J-ALERT) in times of emergency.

However, the disaster prevention administrative radio system’s applications are not limited to communication of disaster information. The system is also used to broadcast photochemical smog alerts and neighborhood association messages calling for people to keep an eye on children. Furthermore, the disaster prevention administrative radio system supports many aspects of people’s lives. In addition to broadcasting alerts and messages, it also includes remote systems for measuring rainfall and river level data. 

JESCO CNS, which is responsible for the JESCO Group’s domestic engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) business, has been involved in every aspect of the disaster prevention administrative radio system, from studies and design to construction and maintenance, for almost 40 years, starting with an order for a preliminary study for a system for a Tokyo municipality received in 1980. The business is nationwide in scope but centered on the Kanto region. The disaster prevention administrative radio system, which can be called the backbone of the JESCO Group’s wireless systems business, truly embodies the Group’s “FOR SAFETY FOR SOCIETY” philosophy.

A sense of mission to “Provide accurate disaster information as soon as possible”

The disaster prevention administrative radio system is used for many different purposes. However, there is no doubt it is most put to the test when disaster strikes. More than a few times over the years, Seiichi Kawashima, JESCO CNS President and Representative Director, has himself headed out to a disaster site or sent employees.

One such occasion was the volcanic eruption in July 2000 on Miyakejima, an island in the Izu island chain, which resulted in an evacuation order for the entire island. At that time, it was JESCO CNS employees who went to Miyakejima to stand in for citizens who left the island. At a time when noxious gases were being emitted, they repaired wire sensors that warn of the occurrence of debris flow and constructed a system for collecting rainfall data and other information. The employees made strenuous efforts to ensure the safety of civil engineering personnel engaged in emergency measures. Work performed while wearing gas masks continued for two and a half years.

Kawashima himself went to Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture soon after the occurrence of the Great East Japan Earthquake to oversee the rebuilding of a disrupted wireless system. He says, “The situation was such that no one knew what land belonged to whom in the tsunami-devastated area when we sought to erect steel poles to which equipment was to be attached. We felt pressed to work as quickly as possible and faced the dilemma of not knowing where to begin.” Such disaster site experiences have instilled in him an unshakable sense of the mission to “Provide accurate disaster information as soon as possible.”

Contributing to society through expertise accumulated over almost 40 years and the Group’s collective strength

The JESCO Group has acquired indispensable capabilities through involvement with the disaster prevention administrative radio system for almost 40 years. Maintenance inspections performed several times a year involve the task of adjusting antennas to ensure that radio signals adequately reach intended areas and setting up relay stations when the signal condition changes as the townscape changes. Among such capabilities is the technological expertise cultivated through this accumulated experience. Also, steel towers that can withstand maximum instantaneous wind speed of 70 meters per second are necessary for equipment installation in mountainous areas. The construction expertise to drive piles with a diameter of 3 meters and depth of 8 meters into mountain ridges cultivated in this work is yet another capability. The accumulation of this experience, including work in high places, is the cornerstone of the JESCO Group’s mobile communications business and other radio businesses.

Issues with the disaster prevention administrative radio system surfaced in the Great East Japan Earthquake. One example is that some areas were unable to use wireless systems due to loss of electric power. Kawashima thinks that the Group’s collective strength can be applied to solving these issues by, for instance, combining the expertise of JESCO CNS with that of the JESCO Group’s solar power generation business to construct a system that continues to function even if the grid is down. “The importance of the disaster prevention administrative radio system is likely to be recognized even overseas. The potential for the system to dovetail with the business development the Group is pursuing in Southeast Asia is increasing.”

Digitization of wireless radio broadcasting is being carried out in order to use limited radio resources more effectively. If realized, this initiative will make possible the detailed delivery of more easily understandable evacuation information using text and images. There are many ways in which the radio business can contribute to society. The JESCO Group intends to actively tackle the challenge of disaster preparedness and mitigation measures, an imperative for Japan, a country vulnerable to earthquake disasters.

(Posted in September 2017)