Research Report: How Television Reported the Torrential Rain in Western Japan (Heavy Rain Event of July 2018)

Abstract

The Heavy Rain Event of July 2018 also known as the Torrential Rain in Western Japan turned out to be the worst rainfall disaster in the Heisei era. Even though the Japan Metrological Agency (JMA) issued a heavy rain emergency warning to 11 prefectures to urge the residents to be on maximum alert, the death toll rose to more than 200 as flood and sediment disasters occurred simultaneously in a broad range from Kyushu to Tokai. The author assumes that how broadcasting media reacted to this tremendous, wide-area disaster must be thoroughly examined and analyzed, which is also vital to developing countermeasures against mega natural disasters predicted in the near future such as the “Nankai Trough Earthquakes” (Nankai megathrust earthquakes). To provide a foothold in the examination, this paper reviews how NHK and commercial flagship stations based in Tokyo actually reported the Heavy Rain Event of July 2018, by chronologically presenting their news coverage before and after the torrential rain, to identify the issues to be discussed in the future.