Japan community radio station installs portable radio in disaster zone

A community radio station in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, has installed a radio atop a vending machine in Setagaya Park to distribute needed information in the event of a large-scale disaster.

FM Setagaya will provide community-based information, such as which evacuation centers are available or where relief supplies are distributed, taking advantage of its strength as a local broadcaster.

The radio is attached to the upper part of the vending machine and turns on when an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 5 or higher occurs. The radio can be heard up to 100 meters away and can run on its built-in battery for two days during a power outage.

It was set up in Setagaya Park because it is designated as a major evacuation site.

In the future, the radio is expected to be used to spread information about fires or crimes, such as eyewitness reports of a suspicious person.

Radio content distributor Music Bird Co. in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, is promoting the nationwide installation of radios attached to vending machines for disaster management and crime prevention. It says the initiative was started in 2017 by community radio station Suzuka Voice FM in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, and has spread to community FM stations in various regions. There are about 40 stations in 14 prefectures, including Osaka and Shizuoka, that have signed agreements to install radios on vending machines. Radio is especially necessary in times of disaster, said Atsushi Okada, president of FM Setagaya s operator Setagaya General Services Co. We'll keep spreading community-based information using this vending machine radio.