Now is the season when we need to be alert for heavy rains. In the event of a disaster, it is important for local governments to promptly disclose information on the safety of disaster victims so that lives can be saved smoothly.
In recent years, there have been a series of large-scale disasters, including record heavy rains and earthquakes. In each case, judgments by local governments have been divided over whether to disclose the names of the dead and the missing.
Many local governments do not disclose the names of dead or missing persons and only announce their numbers. It is said that this is because there are many cases in which they cannot obtain the consent of their families.
As a result, in some cases, local residents did not provide information on the victims, and the missing persons were found to be safe at home or at an evacuation facility several days after a search for them began.
The survival rate of victims decreases 72 hours after a disaster occurs. Cases in which lives that could have been saved are lost, because the names of presumed victims were not made public, must be avoided.
Information about disaster-afflicted areas is rapidly circulated through social media. But false information and rumors can spread the same way. It is extremely important for local governments to provide accurate information.
The Okayama prefectural government swiftly announced the names of missing people after the 2018 torrential rains that left more than 200 people dead in western parts of the country. As it then received a huge amount of information on survivors, three days later, the number of people considered missing, which had reached 43 at one point, dropped to three.
When disclosure of the names of missing people leads to the quick identification of survivors, it is possible to concentrate search efforts on the remaining missing persons. The limited available personnel also can be better assigned to other roles, such as reconstruction work and victim support.
The Personal Information Protection Law stipulates that personal information can be disclosed without the consent of individuals when necessary to protect their lives or safety. It can be said that the disclosure of names in a disaster or other urgent situation is reasonable.
Only 12 prefectures have established standards for disclosing names. In some areas, it has not been decided whether the prefecture or the municipality will make the announcement.
The central government's basic disaster prevention plan stipulates that prefectural governments tally the numbers of the dead and the missing. But the handling of names is left to the discretion of each local government.
The National Governors' Association has asked the central government to formulate unified standards to handle such names. The central government should take the initiative in drawing up rules to enable local governments to promptly disclose the names.
In March, the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association asked the Cabinet Office and the governors' association to disclose the true names of dead and missing people. It pointed out that withholding the names of victims would have a negative impact on rescue operations. It also emphasized that it would be impossible to provide society with information on afflicted areas and lessons learned from disaster recovery, eventually leading to a weak public awareness of disaster prevention.
The central and local governments have a responsibility to protect the lives and property of the people. It is hoped that they will strengthen their preparedness to widely share disaster information and save as many lives as possible.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on June 26, 2020.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
