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When major quakes or other serious disasters strike, residents in the afflicted areas can report their safety to friends and relatives via message boards carried on mobile phone networks. (Images: NTT DoCoMo.)
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Convenience store operators began sales from mobile truck-based shops in mid-April. (Photo: Kuyama Shiromasa.)
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The trucks were fully stocked with food, drink, and other necessities for daily life. (Photo: Kuyama Shiromasa.)
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An October 2010 drill at the Hamaoka plant in Shizuoka Prefecture was based on the loss of power to the cooling systems. In May 2011, Prime Minister Kan requested that the plant be shut down based on the high likelihood of a major earthquake in the region (an 87% chance in the next 30 years, according to some data).
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More than 100,000 SDF troops from throughout the country came to Tōhoku to help by searching for the missing, clearing rubble, and feeding people living in shelters. (Photo: Ministry of Defense.)
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People wait their turn in a temporary bath constructed by SDF members. (Photo from the Ministry of Defense.)
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The US armed forces and SDF jointly launched Operation Tomodachi soon after the quake struck. Some 20 naval vessels, 160 aircraft, and 20,000 personnel took part in the operation. (Photo: US Pacific Fleet.)