Arab News Japan

TOKYO: In the wake of two devastating earthquakes in Turkey, Tokyo Governor KOIKE Yuriko has suggested greater compliance with building standards, as found in Japan, would help prevent loss of life in the future.

“Stricter adherence to Japan’s very exacting earthquake resistance standards will lead to saving lives,” she told a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on Monday. “You could see buildings (in Turkey) pancaking.”

“We have made a lot of progress regarding countermeasures against earthquakes that might strike beneath Tokyo and the first thing that is required is to make building standards stricter. Secondly, I have been working on getting roads widened for many years to allow greater access.”

Koike has also worked on getting utility poles replaced by underground cables and says it is necessary to create a city that can prevent deaths and create human networks. Preventive measures in Tokyo have reduced the expected number of fatalities from 100,000 to 60,000 in the event of a major earthquake.

Koike also said her friendship with a Turkish student also led to her campaigning for the removal of “Turkish” in the descriptions of certain establishments – such as “Turkish Baths” – where it was insulting to Turkish people.

In 1999, when a big earthquake struck Turkey, Koike sent 500 temporary housing units used in the Great Hanshin Earthquake to the disaster-stricken area.