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Japan has experienced countless earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic disasters, and floods — an array of natural disasters. It has also been affected by extreme weather phenomena, such as typhoons, seasonal rain fronts, and heavy snowfall on the west side of the archipelago. Since Japan sits on the four tectonic plates called The Pacific Belt and has frequently suffered from destructive earthquakes, its complex coastline is vulnerable to tsunamis.
Earthquakes and tsunamis in particular have threatened the lives of many people. The Tohoku Earthquake of 2011, still fresh in people’s memory, had a huge economic and humanitarian impact. The economic damage to Japan’s infrastructure exceeded 16 trillion yen, according to The Japanese Cabinet Office.
This has prompted emerging Japanese startups to develop smart solutions to manage and mitigate the damage caused by natural disasters as much as possible. Many technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI), satellite imaging, and internet of things (IoT) devices that send data to a central cloud platform for further analysis have helped lessen the impact of natural disasters.
Symmetry Dimensions is a start-up that was founded in 2014 that develops ‘digital twins’ for towns and cities for use in construction and to aid in urban development and disaster management.
A digital twin is a data-based representation of assets, processes and systems in the built and natural environment. The company provides a cloud service called 'SYMMETRY’ which can be used by anyone, building their own digital twin in 3D using many kinds of data, such as open data, GIS (Geographic Information System) data, and satellite data.
These different types of data can be integrated and analyzed on the platform, enabling everyone to easily hypothesize, test and plan using the digital twin. The company has already undertaken several projects, including wind-resistant design analysis, human flow simulations, and disaster simulations. This was put into practice during a landslide in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture in 2021; the scale of the disaster could be understood by plotting the information collected using the platform on a 3D map. This information was quickly shared with local authorities and rescue organizations, preventing further collateral damage.
In 2020, Symmetry Dimensions was selected for the Microsoft for Startups program. With this project, the company is developing services that utilize AR Cloud technology in conjunction with Microsoft's public cloud platform, Microsoft Azure, as well as utilizing resources such as analysis and prediction through AI technology.
Spectee specializes in risk management measures and Business Continuity Planning (BCP). The company develops AI solutions for various organizations such as government administration offices, local government, and other private enterprises.
Their platform, called “Spectee Pro,” monitors the development of incidents and identifies risks. After natural disasters or man-made emergencies occur, the AI immediately collects information from satellites, live cameras and social media, and then gives a comprehensive view of the damage. These operations are carried out within one minute of the event occurring. Information is visualized on a map and allows users to filter the information quickly. A team of experts fact-checks all of the information before it appears on the platform so that users are always seeing accurate, real-time information.
The service also provides information on disasters outside of Japan, which is of great benefit to companies with supply chains abroad. Logistics companies especially benefit from the increased visibility of an organization’s entire supply chain, ensuring that products retain their integrity and safety.
With the combination of AI platforms and data-collecting technology, companies can make more informed logistics decisions on their business and manage increasingly interconnected supply chain operations.
Terra Labo was founded in 2014. The company has been researching support systems with the Japanese government and local authorities for wide area disasters using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). UAVs have emerged as the superior alternative in aerial photography due to the relatively low cost of operation, support for more frequent missions, substantial aerial coverage, improved ground camera resolution, and ease of use.
The company is currently conducting experimental development of its UAVs in Minami Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, a city that was severely damaged by the massive earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear plant accident in 2011. In 2018, in order to help the industries that were affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster recover, the Japanese government launched a project called the Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework in order to build new industrial infrastructure in the coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture. The company uses the robotic test field provided by the project as a testing ground. Within the framework of the project, steps are being taken in the fields of robotics, energy, decommissioning, agroforestry, and fisheries with the view to form industrial clusters, foster human resources, and increase tourism.
The company has also been developing their own crowd-based platform called ‘Terra Crowd’ to share the data collected by its UAVs, drones, and helicopters. This platform is being developed to facilitate the digital transformation of disaster management. It has already been used to share data during several disaster events, including the Fukushima earthquake of 2021, which was initially measured at a magnitude of 7.3.
Whenever a natural disaster occurs, food security inevitably becomes a heightened issue. After the massive earthquake in 2011, Japanese authorities urged people to stockpile food, water, and bedding. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has developed a guideline called bichiku nabi (stockpiling navigator), for example. In these guidelines, it is recommended that businesses and households should have a three-day supply of food and water. Furthermore, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government designated November 19th as 'Stockpiling Day' and encourages people to check their stockpiles once a year.
The startup company Laspy provides a service called anshin stock (relief stock) that addresses the two most challenging aspects of managing a stockpile: finding a space and checking its expiry date. Laspy raised JPY 50 million from two Japanese venture capital firms, Samurai Incubate and KUSABI in 2022. Many stockpiles of food last for more than a year, but in most cases, the dates need to be checked regularly, as each item has a different expiry date (and you need to ensure that you eat it before it expires).
Companies in particular are struggling to find storage space for all of their employee’s stockpiles. If they were to follow the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's guidelines, each employee would have nine meals, about nine liters of water and bedding, and for a company with around100 employees, enough space is required to supplement the high volume of goods, which for a company of that size can amount to about a ton in total.
Laspy provides space for stockpiles and manages expiry dates for businesses and condominium managers. These services are subscription-based, with some options allowing replenishment of stockpiles when expired.
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