Kumamoto City is the first municipality in the nation to say “no” to government calls for an evacuation drill in preparation for a possible missile attack from North Korea. Mayor Onishi has explained that he made the decision not to hold such a drill, in which sirens would blare and J Alerts would be sent to mobile devices, because he deemed it more important to avoid traffic accidents that might result from confusion caused by such a drill, which was to be scheduled for November:
“大西市長は「訓練のサイレン音やメールで交通事故などが起きるのを避けるため中止した」と説明しています。”
http://rkk.jp/news/index-google.php?id=NS003201709151940110111
Personally, Mr. Onishi’s position makes a good deal of sense to me. I suspect that the government’s call for drills is largely an attempt to be perceived as taking some sort of action, regardless of how much practical benefit can reasonably be expected from the action. Such a drill might function to heighten fear and thus make people more inclined to rally around (or at least not oppose) the government but do little to actually promote public safety. Given the current mood in the country, I think that, politically, it would have been easier for the mayor to go along with the proposed drill instead of refusing to participate. I admire the courage Mayor Onishi has shown in this regard.
– Kirk