Broadcasting in major JR stations – to use four languages in principle​​... Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean

Recently the Yomiuri Shimbun On-line reported the following:

ＪＲ主要駅の放送、原則４か国語に…日英中韓

2019年01月26日 22時57分

　菅官房長官は２６日、訪日外国人の災害対策を強化するための指針をまとめ、週明けにも国土交通省がＪＲ各社に要請することを明らかにした。主要駅の構内放送を原則４か国語とすることなどを柱とする。訪問先の大阪市内で記者団に語った。

 　指針は、災害時における新幹線などの運行情報を外国人に円滑に提供するのが目的だ。構内放送は日本語のほか、英語、中国語、韓国語で実施することを求める。ホームページ上の運行情報を３０分ごとに更新することも盛り込む。

　昨年９月の台風２１号の際には、情報伝達の不備から関西空港で外国人利用客が孤立するなど、政府内で対応強化の必要性が指摘されていた。

　菅氏はこれに先立ち、ＪＲ東京駅や新大阪駅などを視察した。菅氏は記者団に対し、「外国人への広報は不足していた。ＪＲ各社は改善策を早く実行に移してほしい」と述べた。

Translation

On the 26^th the Chief Cabinet Secretary Kan, centering around the guideline on strengthening counter disaster measures revealed that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism would at the start of the week made requests on JR companies mainly to request local broadcasting in main stations to make broadcasting in 4 languages. He spoke to reporters in Osaka city where he was visiting.

The purpose of the guideline was to smoothly provide travel information to foreigners such as on bullet trains at the time of a disaster. In addition to Japanese, it requested the local broadcasting be made in English, Chinese and Korean. It also included the updating of operation information in the homepage every 30 minutes.

In the case of Typhoon No. 21 last September, foreign passengers were being isolated at Kansai Airport etc. due to a lack of information transmission and thus pointing out the need to strengthen response within the government.

Before this Mr. Kan visited JR Tokyo station and the Shin Osaka station etc., he told reporters that "Public information to foreigners was insufficient and would like to see JR companies to implement improvement measures as soon as possible."

         Surely the new measures will help tourist in traveling at the time of a disaster.