“Ima sugu nigeru koto! (You must evacuate now!)” On the evening of New Years Day 2024, the Noto Peninsula Earthquake hit Japan, which was followed by the issuance of the first major tsunami warning since the Great East Japan Earthquake. On the NHK broadcasts, announcers urged for evacuation in a strong tone of voice. This paper analyzes in detail NHK’s initial disaster reporting for this earthquake in five phases, including these announcements. This study defines the calls ending with “koto” after a verb (combined, meaning “thing to do”) as an “expression of reminder” that imply a command without using the imperative form and demonstrates that “announcements for saving lives,” which NHK had developed based on the lessons of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, were utilized on a full scale under a major tsunami warning, for the first time in the Japanese broadcasting history. At the same time, the authors raise the issue that information about “tsunamis occurring on the Sea of Japan side reach faster” was not communicated sufficiently enough.
Challenges in preventing disaster-related deaths are also examined, with examples including (1) international standards for the operation of evacuation shelters that has received increased attention since the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake and (2) evacuation to remote areas across municipal and prefectural boundaries that has been given importance since the Great Kanto Earthquake 100 years ago. Pointing out that past lessons were not fully applied to the recent Noto Peninsula Earthquake in these respects, the authors reconsider the expected roles of the media in future disasters.