Kirk here. I have found the quality of journalism in the Japan Times to be pretty good in the past but not so much so in this case. As I posted previously, it may be true that the “literal” message sent to millions of people was an “evacuation order.” But, it’s also true that most of the millions who were not in a flood plain and not near a steep incline had the good sense to stay put – a point that the article doesn’t explain.
Most social phenomenon observable in one country can be found to some extent in other countries. So, I assume that this “don’t do what we say; do what we mean” type of communication is not unique to Japan. But, even after decades living here it still bugs me. It strikes me as part of a communication pattern where the bulk of the burden is on the recipient of a message to figure out the actual intent of the message sender (in such communication, the words used by the sender are important “clues” but may not always be taken at face value).
I’ll put links to this Japan Times article and my previous post in a comment. If I put them in the body of my post the Facebook algorithm will give it a lower priority when deciding who to show it to. :(