{"id":120097,"date":"2025-08-30T05:16:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T05:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/120097\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T05:16:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T05:16:07","slug":"ai-simulation-of-a-mount-fuji-eruption-is-being-used-to-prepare-tokyo-for-the-worst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/120097\/","title":{"rendered":"AI simulation of a Mount Fuji eruption is being used to prepare Tokyo for the worst"},"content":{"rendered":"

TOKYO — Mount Fuji hasn\u2019t erupted since 1707. But for Volcanic Disaster Preparedness Day, Japanese officials have released computer- and AI-generated videos showing a simulation of a potential violent eruption of the active volcano.<\/a><\/p>\n

The videos, released this week, are meant to prepare the 37 million residents in the greater Tokyo<\/a> metropolitan area for potential disasters.<\/p>\n

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government\u2019s video warns an eruption could strike \u201cat any moment, without warning,\u201d depicting volcanic ash shrouding central Tokyo, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away, within hours, paralyzing transportation, disrupting food and power, and causing long-term respiratory problems.<\/p>\n

The video ends with the message: \u201cWe need to arm ourselves with facts and prepare for disaster in our daily lives.\u201d It shows a family\u2019s pantry stocked with canned food and a first-aid kit.<\/p>\n

The Tokyo government said in a statement that there are currently no signs of Fuji erupting. \u201cThe simulation is designed to equip residents with accurate knowledge and preparedness measures they can take in case of an emergency,\u201d it explained. <\/p>\n

But the videos have caused anxiety and confusion among some residents. <\/p>\n

\u201cAre there actually any signs of eruption?\u201d said Shinichiro Kariya, a 57-year-old hospital employee. \u201cWhy are we now hearing things like \u201810 centimeters of ash could fall,\u2019 even in Tokyo? I\u2019m wondering why this is happening all of a sudden.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hiromi Ooki, who lives in Mishima City, which has prime views of Fuji, said she planned to buy emergency supplies the next day. \u201cNature\u2019s power is so great that maybe it\u2019s better if it scares us a little,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Representatives of both the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Japan\u2019s Cabinet Office Disaster Prevention Division said they had not received complaints from Tokyo residents about the videos.<\/p>\n

University of Tokyo professor and risk communication expert Naoya Sekiya said the government has for years modeled scenarios for volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, but added that does not mean Fuji is about to erupt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no particular significance to the timing,\u201d Sekiya said.<\/p>\n

Japan is highly vulnerable to natural disasters because of its climate and topography and is known for its meticulous disaster planning which spans earthquakes,<\/a> typhoons, floods,<\/a> mudslides and volcanic eruptions. <\/p>\n

The Japan Meteorological Agency last August issued its first-ever \u201cmegaquake advisory\u201d<\/a> after a powerful quake struck<\/a> off the southeastern coast of the southern main island of Kyushu.<\/p>\n

Of the world\u2019s roughly 1,500 active volcanoes, 111 are in Japan, which lies on the Pacific \u201cRing of Fire.\u201d <\/p>\n

Fuji, Japan\u2019s tallest peak, used to erupt about every 30 years, but it has been dormant since the 18th century. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Video journalist Ayaka McGill contributed to this report. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TOKYO — Mount Fuji hasn\u2019t erupted since 1707. But for Volcanic Disaster Preparedness Day, Japanese officials have released…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[77247,182,966,181,507,1685,4976,793,79,74,33293,965],"class_list":["post-120097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-77247","tag-ai","tag-article","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-climate-and-environment","tag-disaster-planning-and-response","tag-general-news","tag-science","tag-technology","tag-volcanoes","tag-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}