Mock Exams

Japanese students preparing for university entrance exams often take mogi shiken, mock exams. The cram school Kawaijuku says that its national Zentō mock exams were taken about 2.735 million times in fiscal 2025, counting every sitting. According to the site Bestjuku, the first sitting of Kawaijuku’s written-answer mock exam in fiscal 2025 had 168,561 takers.

A guide published by a cram school calls the mock exam a place for practice that assumes the real exam. Students work in conditions close to the real exam, get used to the tension and gain practical experience. The result, the guide adds, is only a point along the way.

Surveying the School Trip

Before a Japanese school trip, teachers often make a shitami, a preliminary visit to the destination. A notice from the Ministry of Education of October 2, 1968, asked schools to survey the lodgings, especially emergency exits and dangerous spots, and to plan evacuation and rescue in case of disaster.

A notice of March 31, 1988, followed the Shanghai train accident of that year, which struck students from Kōchi Prefecture. It asked schools to carry out an on-site survey of the route and the means of transport in advance, and to prepare with great care to ensure safety. An audit report of Osaka Prefecture from 2015 notes that the number of people and days for the preliminary visit is left to the principal.

Predicting Danger

In kiken yochi kunren, hazard prediction training, a small group talks through the dangers hidden in a workplace or a task, using illustrated sheets or the work itself. The Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association describes how it ends. The group confirms the danger points and key actions by pointing and calling them out, and solves the problem before work begins.

The association presents the training together with its zero-accident campaign, which began in 1973 with the support of the Ministry of Labour. The campaign’s final goal is zero accidents and zero illness.

A Thousand Questions

Before its general meeting of shareholders in June, Hitachi prepares sōtei mondō , anticipated questions and answers. The company writes that their number reaches about 1,000. Preparation starts around March, and rehearsals are held repeatedly from about a month before the meeting.

The legal site Business Lawyers defines sōtei mondō as questions that shareholders could raise, with draft answers, put in writing in advance. It warns of the risks of answers that fall short. The company can be accused of breaching its duty to explain, and the resolutions themselves can be challenged.

Disaster Prevention Day

September 1 is Bōsai no hi, Disaster Prevention Day. It was established in 1960. The date is the anniversary of the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. It also falls near nihyaku tōka, the 210th day counted from the start of spring in the traditional calendar, a time known for typhoons.

Since a cabinet understanding of 1982, the week around September 1 has been Disaster Prevention Week. The government calls for disaster drills during that week.

The Vocabulary of Caution

Ishibashi o tataite wataru (石橋を叩いて渡る): to tap on a stone bridge before crossing it. Even a bridge that looks solid is checked for safety first. Doing things with caution on top of caution.

Sonae areba urei nashi (備えあれば憂いなし): if prepared, no worries. A person who is always ready for an emergency need not worry when one happens.

Nen ni wa nen o ireyo (念には念を入れよ): add care to care. In important matters, take great care that no mistake happens, and then check once more.

Flood Hazard Maps

An amendment to Japan’s Flood Control Act took effect on July 1, 2005, after a series of heavy rain disasters in 2004. It obliged the mayors of municipalities with areas expected to flood to inform residents, with flood hazard maps, about how flood warnings are passed on and where to evacuate.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism expected the number of municipalities required to make such maps to roughly double, to about 1,800. On March 31, 2005, 375 municipalities had them.

Touchdown Rehearsals

Before the space probe Hayabusa2 first touched down on the asteroid Ryugu, JAXA ran a series of touchdown rehearsals. In one, on October 14 and 15, 2018, the probe descended to about 22.3 meters above the surface to check the accuracy of its navigation and guidance. This test had been planned for an earlier rehearsal, but a sensor failed to switch modes.

In the next rehearsal, from October 23 to 25, the probe fed its laser range measurements back into its control. The first touchdown was postponed to January 2019 or later.

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