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Bureaucrats’ brace for possible disaster on Mount Usu |
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April 9, 2000
DATE, Japan, APR 8 (AP) - Dozens of bureaucrats sit crammed in a stuffy room, answering phones, typing on computers and smoking cigarettes. Aides rush about with stacks of papers as a voice drones over a loudspeaker with the schedule for an upcoming meeting.
It's crisis management in Japan - a country governed by consensus, where every agency expects to have its say.
The current threat looms outside the window - Mount Usu, an erupting volcano that has drawn hordes of officials to this small town on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Last week, legions of bureaucrats descended upon Date after scientists said the volcano was about to erupt for the first time in 22 years.
By the time Mount Usu began spewing gas and debris, the normally quiet town was abuzz with activity. Besides state officials, more than 100 central government bureaucrats, some 2,000 police and firefighters, and hundreds of soldiers were on hand to evacuate residents and help brace for disaster.
"We've got everyone except the imperial household," said Ryo Sasaki, who is helping coordinate the effort.
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