Effectiveness of "Easy Japanese" in Disaster Prevention Radio Broadcasts

Abstract

“Easy Japanese” was created so that foreigners in Japan would have fewer issues with communicating in the event of a disaster. However, while disaster prevention radio broadcasts are an important source of information in disasters, research on such broadcasts from the perspective of “Easy Japanese” has yet to be conducted. In this study, disaster prevention radio broadcasts during the Great East Japan Earthquake were analyzed from this perspective. Based on the results, reconsidering the rules for “Easy Japanese,” and applying them to the rules of disaster prevention radio broadcasts is necessary.