Japan aces disaster preparedness, vending machines to offer free food if earthquake hits

Japan has expanded its natural disaster preparations to include vending machines that would provide free food and drink in the event of a major earthquake or typhoon.

Two machines have been installedin the western coastal city of Ako, which is located in an area that seismologists predict is vulnerable to a large earthquake that is projected to impact the country's central and south-west Pacific coasts in the decades to come.

The machines, which carry around 300 bottles and cans of soft drinks and 150 emergency food items, including nutritional supplements, have been placed near buildings designated as evacuation shelters.

As per the Japanese newspaperMainichi Shimbun, they are intended to "unlock" and make their contents available free of charge in the case of a severe rain warning or an evacuation order following a quake of an upper five or higher on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of seven.

Their contents must be paid for the remainder of the period, according to the newspaper.

First of their kindin Japan

Earth Corp, which has a facility in the city, claims the devices are the first of their kind in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active countries, where increasingly violent typhoons have caused significant floods and landslides in recent years.

The rest of the time, its contents must be paid for, according to the newspaper.

“We would like to install [the machines] throughout the country,” a company representative told the Mainichi, as reported by the Guardian.

A city official said: “We expect that the stockpile will lead to the safety and security of our residents.”

Earlier this year, a vending machine equipped with a radio that automatically releases emergency notifications, was installed in a Tokyo park.

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Media reports said, earthquakes registering fiveor higher on the Japanese intensity scale would trigger the radio, which will relay evacuation and other crucial information from a local community radio station.

Experts have increased the likelihood of a "megaquake" occurring at the Nankai trough, off Japan's Pacific coast, from 50 per centto 60 per centover the next 20 years, and to about 90 per centwithin the next 40 years.

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