On Feb. 11, 2017, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc., Sompo Risk Management & Health Care Inc., Kogakuin University, Rikei Corporation, and Shinjuku City (Team Shinjuku), all members of the Council for Measures to Reduce Disaster Risks in the Shinjuku Station Area, plan to jointly conduct a test in the Shinjuku West Exit area, one of Japan’s most prominent densely populated areas that have many skyscrapers, to confirm the effectiveness of using unmanned small aircrafts (drones) and issues to be addressed with the aim of gathering information and guiding stranded people under disaster conditions.

Background and aim of the test

As exemplified by the Shinjuku Station Area, in addition to measures to reduce various disaster risks, the central urban areas of megacities and surrounding residential areas are strongly urged to take steps to respond swiftly to a disaster immediately after it occurs, ensure business continuity, and recover from the disaster.

Since 2007, the Council for Measures to Reduce Disaster Risks in the Shinjuku Station Area has continuously worked to carry out locally concerted drills mainly for massive earthquakes and increase the disaster risk reduction (DRR) literacy of local residents. Through these activities, how to collect information immediately after the occurrence of a disaster, communicate relevant information for seamless guidance, and ensure that information was provided by and shared among major bases seamlessly emerged as a principal issue to be addressed.

Against this backdrop, in order to resolve this issue, Team Shinjuku decided to condunct the test to verify the effectiveness of using drones by bringing together the technology, knowledge, and resources it had accumulated and utililzed in daily business operations. Plans call for such disaster response tests to be conducted continuously throughout 2017 while accelerating applied research in drones and wireless communication networks.

Overview of the test

• Time, venue, etc. *Please apply in advance for news gathering because the schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions.

Feb. 11, 2017, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Shinjuku Central Park, Kogakuin University, and the Shinjuku City Office (coodination is under way)

• Matters to be tested

Drones will be flown at the Shinjuku Central Park and a wireless communication infrastructure will be connected to Kogakuin University, about 550 meters away from the Park. Videos taken by the drones and other data will be communicated interactively (Coordination is under way to include the Shinjuku City Office in the wireless communication bases).

(1) Testing flight stability, (2) examining images for information gathering, (3) testing image transmission and reception, and (4) verifying the ability to provide information to stranded people

• Activity resources

Usually, the member companies of Team Shinjuku bring the majority of resources (such as personnel, equipment and materials, and funding) required for their activities. Part of the research funds for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Private University Research Branding Project (Type A: Research Center for Society) in which Kogakuin University’s application was accepted in 2016 will be used for these tests.

• Implementation structure

Members of Team Shinjuku: Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc., Sompo Risk Management & Health Care Inc., Kogakuin University, Rikei Corporation, and Shinjuku City * For details, please refer to the next page “Reference.”

Cooperative bodies: Council for Measures to Reduce Disaster Risks in the Shinjuku Station Area, NSi Moka Co., Ltd., IBEX Technology Co., Ltd., and Nitto Telecommunications Co., Ltd.

●Responsibilities of each member in the test

[Reference] About the Council for Measures to Reduce Disaster Risks in the Shinjuku Station Area

Under the leadership of entities located around Shinjuku Station, the Council was established in 2002 as Shinjuku City’s body to promote measures to deal with people having difficulty returning home under disaster conditions. The public and private sectors are working together to take measures to prevent confusion around the station. The Council has conducted Japan’s first drills for preventing confusion around a terminal station and laid down a set of local rules known as the “Shinjuku Rules.” In 2009, it was reorganized as the Council for Measures to Reduce Disaster Risks in the Shinjuku Station Area in order to discuss a wider range of issues, including DRR town development around Shinjuku Station. Currently, it has some 70 business operators, associations, and the like as its members.