The major earthquake, as well as the giant tsunami that struck immediately after, far surpassed the level of protection that could be offered by safeguards thought to be rock-solid, and more than 20,000 lives were lost mainly in the Tohoku region in Japan. Fortunately, damage to the Tokyo Metropolitan area as a result of this earthquake disaster was of a relatively small scale. Notwithstanding, all rail services came to a halt on the day of the earthquake, and close to 100,000 people in the heart of the city were unable to return home, spending the night at hotels or public facilities such as stations. Furthermore, in the weeks following the earthquake, radioactive substances released as a consequence of the incident of the nuclear power stations came to affect Tokyo as well, and radioactive substances above the acceptable intake levels for infants were detected in tap water at the water purification plants. At the same time, various inconveniences to our daily lives arose as a result of planned power outages accompanying the halting of operations at the nuclear power stations.

Even so, Tokyo exerted the crisis management capabilities that it has developed thus far, and succeeded in recovering capital city functions swiftly. Public transportation agencies recovered in about a week, while radiation levels in tap water and the atmosphere have returned to levels that are close to those prior to the disaster. Although this summer has seen the continuation of days with temperatures above those of last year, no large-scale power outages occurred and the city succeeded in keeping everyday life stable for the people, thanks to power conservation measures implemented jointly by the public and private sectors. Currently, Tokyo is putting its utmost into recovery efforts and fulfilling its responsibility as the capital city. These efforts include taking in victims from the Tohoku region, as well as providing assistance to the disaster areas.

Finally, in order to apply lessons gleaned from the Great East Japan Earthquake in the future, during the Joint Disaster Management Drill in Tokyo (scheduled for October this year) that emergency squads from ANMC21 member cities participate in every year, there are plans to incorporate new training items that correspond to the disaster management challenges revealed during this disaster, so as to draw up a training program that is even more practical than before.

The concrete measures implemented in relation to the earthquake disaster in Metropolitan Tokyo, described above, are as follows. (All numbers correspond to statistics released on 24 August 2011.)

<Enhancing systems to measure radioactivity, and providing accurate information to residents>
Steps have been taken to investigate radioactivity levels in water, the atmosphere, and agricultural products in order to assess the impact of the nuclear incident on Tokyo, as well as to reassure Tokyo residents and ensure their safety. Investigation results are published on websites. In particular, water and air are checked every day, and results are reported on the following day.

Over several days in March, radioactive substances of levels higher than usual were detected in tap water and the atmosphere. However, the numbers dropped subsequently, and levels have now returned to levels close to those prior to the disaster. In addition, levels exceeding the national standard were not detected in agricultural products originating from Tokyo and circulating in the markets.

<Power conservation measures>
Practical measures were implemented with the aim of riding out the power crisis this summer, as well as to move away from being a society that is excessively dependent upon electric power.

Specifically, experts are being dispatched to leased buildings to offer power conservation advice to major users of electricity (companies). With regard to individual users, 3,000 power conservation advisors are being dispatched to one million residences in the city to introduce concrete power conservation methods to residents. Government facilities such as government offices have put in place summertime systems, which include work shift rotations and the partial shutdown of lighting and elevator facilities. As a result, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buildings have, as of this time, succeeded in achieving its targeted 25% reduction in power consumption.

<Providing assistance to disaster areas>
With regard to the provision of assistance to victims, measures taken include the dispatch of Metropolitan Tokyo officials and volunteers to disaster areas (humanitarian aid), receiving donations and aid supplies from Tokyo residents and other sources and providing supplies to disaster areas (material aid), and taking victims into Tokyo. The following is a record of aid measures provided as of 22 August 2011.

Humanitarian aid:

Inter-prefectural emergency rescue units (15,858 people), emergency fire response teams (3,283 people), medical assistance (Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc.: 1,885 people), recovery and reconstruction assistance (Personnel to assist in the operation of evacuation centers, and water supply and sewerage technicians: 3,096 people), etc.

Material aid:

Transportation of relief supplies including blankets (166,360 sheets), food supplies (361,620 meals), drinking water (10,000 bottles), etc.

Taking in victims:

Victims have been taken into sports facilities owned by Tokyo (282 people in Tokyo Budoh-Kan, 181 people in Ajinomoto Stadium, etc.), facilities owned by private-sector businesses (use of Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka, originally scheduled to be torn down, by 788 people), and Tokyo or state-owned housing (3,514 people in municipal housing, housing for Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials, housing for civil servants, etc.), etc.