Eyeing North Korea, Tokyo holds first missile evacuation drill in years

Tokyo residents dashed for cover inside a train station on Monday as part of the first missile evacuation drill in the capital for years as Japan frets over the growing threat from nearby North Korea.
Around 60 residents participated in the drill in Tokyo’s Nerima ward, which follows a series of recent test launches from the nuclear-armed North of everything from short-range and cruise missiles to massive intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that can strike the continental United States.
Some of these launches, including a missile that flew over Japan’s southern islands on Aug. 24, have triggered Japan’s J-Alert system which allows authorities to instantly send warnings via television, email and cellphone notifications to residents.
However Mutsumi Takahashi, a disaster prevention official helping to run Monday’s drill, said some people still don’t know what to do when the J-Alert goes off, underlining the need for more simulations.