News Release
Members of the Council for Disaster prevention countermeasure in the Shinjuku Station Area, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance, Inc., SOMPO RISK MANAGEMENT, Inc., Kogakuin University, RIKEI CORPORATION, and SHINJUKU CITY (hereinafter referred to as “Team Shinjuku”) have been conducting joint demonstration tests for gathering and issuing information during disasters using small unmanned aircraft (hereinafter referred to as “drones”) in the West Exit areas of Shinjuku Station, which is one of the most populated areas in Japan and is also a skyscraper area. The third activity of this drill will be implemented on Thursday, November 15.
Background and Purpose of this Demonstration Test
The Council for Disaster Prevention Countermeasure in the Shinjuku Station Area has performed mutual aid drills assuming large-scale earthquakes continuously since 2007 and has made efforts to improve the local Disasterresponse capabilities. Through these activities, the gathering and issuing of information immediately after the occurrence of an emergency have been mentioned as the tasks to be undertaken. The Council has been examining measures related to these tasks.
Under these circumstances, to address these tasks, “Team Shinjuku” implemented the first demonstration test using drones and information communication terminals functioning in collaboration and connection with one another in February 2017 and the second such test in December 2017, with the technology, scheme and resources accumulated and used in routine activities.
In this test, based on the results of the first and second tests, in order to ascertain the details of the situation through better observations, real-time videos taken by drones operated in three locations and a fixed-point camera (one) are provided to the information center. In addition, a temporary information center was installed for the tests held last year, but for the test held this time, a demonstration will be performed for situations similar to those that arise in an actual emergency in collaboration with the Shinjuku Station West Exit Area Earthquake Response Drill (hosted by the Council for Disaster Prevention Countermeasure in the Shinjuku Station Area).
Schematic Image of Information Sharing in the Third Test
Outline of Demonstration Test
1) Demonstration test schedule and venue
(i) Schedule: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Thursday, November 15, 2018 Note: the test may be cancelled in the event of bad weather.
(ii) Venue: Shinjuku Chuo Park, Kogakuin University, etc.
(2) Description of Test
To ascertain the status of the damage in the areas surrounding Shinjuku Station, drones will be operated in multiple locations including Shinjuku Chuo Park, and the information obtained will be provided to the West Exit Local Headquarters of the Council for Disaster Prevention Countermeasure in the Shinjuku Station Area at Kogakuin University and the Shinjuku City Disaster Response Headquarters. In addition, based on the information issued by the Local Headquarters and the like, information will be provided from the organizer to the people who stay put via the speakers installed in the drones and the web system.
(i) Information transmission test using (multilingual) speakers installed in drones
(ii) Sharing of real-time videos from multiple locations using three drones and a fixed-point camera
(iii) Collaboration with the West Exit Area Disaster Response Drill hosted by Council for Disaster Prevention Countermeasure in the Shinjuku Station Area
(to ascertain the local situation and transmit information to the people who stay put using the speakers installed in the drones,
free Wi-Fi, etc.)
(iv) To build a safety management system using the latest other drones positional information detectors
(3) Activity Resources
Each institution that is a member of “Team Shinjuku” has provided the resources (human resources, materials, equipment, funds, etc.) for the activity. Part of the research fund for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology “private university branding project type A (social development type),” to which project Kogakuin University has been assigned since 2016, will be appropriated.
(4) Implementation system
Team Shinjuku” members: Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance, Inc., SOMPO RISK MANAGEMENT, Inc., Kogakuin University, RIKEI CORPORATION, and SHINJUKU CITY *See the separate sheet for details.
Cooperating institutes: Council for Disaster Prevention Countermeasure in the Shinjuku Station Area, NSi Corporation, IBEX Technology Co. Ltd., Nitto Telecommunicatins, Co. Ltd., SENSYN Robotics, Inc, Parks and Recreation Foundation, Soliton Systems K.K., GEIDANKYO
(5) Responsibilities of each member in the test
| 企業名等 | 担当業務 |
|---|---|
| Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance, Inc. |
|
| SOMPO RISK MANAGEMENT, Inc |
|
| Kogakuin University |
|
| RIKEI CORPORATION |
|
| SHINJUKU CITY |
|
| Council for Disaster Prevention Countermeasure Risks in the Shinjuku Station Area |
|
| NSi Corporation |
|
| SENSYN Robotics, Inc. |
|
| Soliton Systems K.K. |
|
■Description of Team Shinjuku members
| Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance, Inc. | Representative | President: NISHIZAWA, Keiji |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Nishi-Shinjuku 1-26-1, Shinjuku City, Tokyo | |
| General description | A major domestic casualty insurance company. Using drones for casualty investigation since 2015. Used drones for the casualty investigation for the Itoigawa River Great Fire to achieve the rapid payment of casualty insurance. Has a record of over 2,000 times the total number of flights and cooperated in searches for the missing in a variety of disasters and emergencies as support for disaster response by the municipality. Note that in 2016, the company obtained comprehensive permission and approval for flight operations of drones around the nation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as the first entity within the insurance industry to do so. | |
| SOMPO RISK MANAGEMENT, Inc | Representative | President: FUSE, Yasushi |
| Address | Nishi-Shinjuku 1-24-1, Shinjuku City, Tokyo | |
| General description | A group company belonging to the SOMPO Holdings Group. Develops the risk management business and the cyber security business and provides solution services such as business continuation (BCM and BCP) support, enterprise risk management (ERM) support, and cyber security response service. | |
| Kogakuin University | Representative | President: SATO, Mitsunobu |
| Address | Nishi-Shinjuku 1-24-2, Shinjuku City, Tokyo (Shinjuku Campus) | |
| General description | A private university with the School of Advanced Engineering, the Faculty of Engineering, the School of Architecture, and the Faculty of Informatics. Has participated in the development of disaster response plans of Shinjuku City. Leads the local emergency prevention and response activities by providing explanations via a range of media as an expert, developing kits for installing a haven, etc. In response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, performed volunteer activities such as the reception of people who are unable to return home. Has been comprehensively collaborating with the Shinjuku City and provides the local headquarters for the Shinjuku Station West Exit areas in emergency cases. | |
| RIKEI CORPORATION | Representative | President: ISAKA, Satoru |
| Address | Nishi-Shinjuku 1-26-2, Shinjuku Nomura Bldg., Shinjuku City, Tokyo | |
| General description | A technology trader in the IT and electronics field established in 1957.
In 2003, RIKEI proposed the J Alert system, a system for instantly transmitting emergency information from the Japanese Government to the nation, to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and the J Alert system has been used continuously. Since then, RIKEI has contributed to the realization of diverse means of transmission, which is an effort made by each municipality. |
■ Description of Council for Disaster Prevention Countermeasure in the Shinjuku Station Area
Established as the Shinjuku City Council for the Promotion of Responses to Persons Having Trouble Returning Home in 2002 for the services in the areas surrounding Shinjuku Station. Has been acting to develop and perform responses for preventing confusion in station-front areas through collaboration between officials and non-officials. In 2007, the Council was transformed into the Council for Response and Drills for People Staying in Areas Surrounding Shinjuku Station and implemented a drill for preventing confusion in the areas surrounding the terminal stations for the first time in Japan. Developed the Shinjuku Rules as the basic policy for emergency response in the areas surrounding Shinjuku Station. Further, in 2009, the Council was transformed into the Council for Measures to Reduce Disaster Risks in the Shinjuku Station Area and expanded its tasks to be examined from the response to people having trouble returning home to the improvement of emergency response in the areas surrounding Shinjuku Station. Around 80 entities currently participate in this Council, and it has continuously promoted efforts for improving local disaster response capabilities.