Millions of Tokyo residents will practice evacuating in case of North Korean attack

(Baonghean.vn) - Millions of Tokyo residents are about to participate in evacuation drills simulating a North Korean nuclear attack on the Japanese capital.

Pyongyang makes progress in its missile and nuclear weapons programs. Photo: AP

The central government and Tokyo city government are set to conduct a series of drills between January and March to prepare for a potential attack on Tokyo, the Sankei Shimbun reported.

This is the first time a major Japanese city will conduct countermeasures against a hypothetical attack.

Towns facing the Korean peninsula have conducted similar drills in recent months, with residents instructed to seek shelter when sirens sound warning of an imminent missile attack.

Given North Korea's increasingly deteriorating relations with its neighbors, and Pyongyang's advances in its missile and nuclear weapons programs, many in Japan believe that evacuation drills for civilians are a wise precaution.

“I believe the threat is very real and war could break out at any moment,” said one Tokyo resident. Nearly 9.3 million people live in Tokyo, with millions more commuting to work every day.

Evacuation drills help minimize casualties, as does practicing in the event of a major earthquake.

And if war breaks out, it is inevitable that North Korea will attack Tokyo. The US has a major military base in Yokota, west of Tokyo, and a major naval base in the region is located in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo.

A study by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said a 250 kiloton midair explosion over central Tokyo would kill nearly 700,000 people and injure 2.47 million. The toll would rise if the city was hit by multiple warheads./.

Lan Ha

(According to Telegraph)