TsukuBlog A Local Perspective on Life in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

Car Thefts in Tsukuba

As RrFish mentioned yesterday, car thefts are on the rise in Tsukuba. I also received a notice from the Tsukuba Central Police Station warning people that car thefts are on the rise in Tsukuba, particularly since August of this year. Tsukuba now has the most car thefts in the region. They are advising people to be careful and not to let their guard down in thinking "it couldn't happen to me".

Here are some facts about car theft in Tsukuba.

1. The number of car thefts that occurred up to September 2007 has already surpassed the number that occurred in all of 2006, and is close to the total number for 2005.

2. The area that is policed by Tsukuba Central Police Station contains 5.5% of the population of Ibaraki. However, in 2005, this area had 10% of the car thefts in the prefecture. In 2006, it had 7.6%, and so far in 2007, it has had 11.2% of the car thefts.

3. What kinds are cars are being stolen?

Passenger vehicles: 87 (48.3%)
Commercial vehicles: 62 (34.4%)
Construction vehicles: 11 (6.1%)
Other specialized vehicles: 6 (3.3%)
Other: 14

4. Can't I just lock my car?

Most of the cars that were stolen were locked.

No key in ignition: 128 (71.1%)
Key in ignition: 52 (28.9%)

Locked: 176 (97.8%)
Unlocked: 4 (2.8%)

5. Is it worse in the daytime or night?

Most of the thefts happened at night (160 incidents).

6. Where did these thefts happen?

Apartment, house parking lots: 32 (17.8%)
Office parking lots: 28 (15.6%)
Store parking lots (including convenience stores, bars, supermarkets, pachinko): 26 (27%)
Construction sites: 28 (15.6%)
Public facility parking lots (hospitals, city hall, gymnasiums, children's halls): 7 (3.9%)

What can I do?

You car can get stolen even if you lock the door and take the key out of the ignition, but it is still a good idea to do both.

Think about installing anti-theft devices such as immobilizers and GPS． They are expensive, but effective.

Think of ways to protect your parking lot. You may not be able to park your car in a garage with a door, but install lighting and think about installing a camera.

Pay attention to what is going on around you. Our eyes and ears are the best protection against theft.

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Chemical Terrorism Drill to be Held in Tsukuba

According to the Ibaraki Shimbun, a chemical terrorism drill based on 国民保護法(Civil Protection Law) will be held inside TX Tsukuba Station and other locations tomorrow. This drill is targeted to 420 people in 109 agencies such as the Ibaraki Prefectural Government, Ibaraki Police and Self-Defense Forces. So even though the article doesn’t mention the time of the drill, it will probably be held after the operating hours.

The drill tomorrow will be carried out under the assumption that sarin (deadly gas) was dispersed. Agents from four fire department head quarters within Ibaraki will go through rescue/evacuation/decontamination drills in chemical protection suits, and Ibaraki Prefectural government staff members will go through information gathering/ judging situation drills without being told what “the scenario of drills” are.

This kind of terrorism drill is the second one to be held in Ibaraki. The first one was held at the Nulcear Off-site Center in Tokai Village and a couple of other locations last year.

For more on Civil Protection Law, visit:
Cabinet Secretariat Civil Protection Portal Site

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Determining Your Location in Case of Emergency

The Tsukuba Fire Department has installed a system that will show your location if you place a call to 119 from a cellphone or IP phone. This system will come onboard as of October 1 and will only work with third
generation cellphones (ones that can handle high speed data) and IP phones with numbers that do not start with 050. If you are calling from a cellphone, the Fire Station will be given information about your current
position. If your cellphone can handle GPS data, the positioning data will be more precise. If you are calling from an IP phone, your registered information (name and address) will be shown.

In some cases, it will not be possible to get information that is good enough for the Fire Department to locate you, so please answer the questions of the emergency operators if they ask for more information. If you dial
184 before dialing 119, you can block your position information from being shown. However, if the Fire Department determines that the situation requires knowledge of your position, they can extract such information even if you dial 184.

Source: Tsukuba City Hall Website

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Earthquake Aftermath – Information for Tsukuba Residents

I haven't posted to TsukuBlog in a long time, but I thought this was a good time to break my (unintended -- just too busy) spell of silence. Since it can be very hard to find information in English about what is happening in the aftermath of a crisis in Japan, I thought it would be a good idea to try to use TsukuBlog as a way of disseminating information to our English-speaking residents. I will try to provide links to official sources so you can check to make sure the information is reliable.

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I have made a new website specifically for disseminating information to Tsukuba residents. Please use this website from now on: Tsukuba News. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 20:17)

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Airports

• Haneda: According to the Haneda Airport website, the terminal buildings are safe. Please contact airlines for flight details. The trains to the airport are running, but check the websites of the train companies to confirm. The free shuttle bus between the terminals is running. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:35)
• Narita: According to the Narita Airport website, the terminal buildings are safe. Please contact airlines for flight details. The Cityliner express train from Ueno to Narita is not running. Other trains are running, but check the websites of the train companies to confirm.(Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:30)

Buses

• The highway buses from Tokyo to Tsukuba are not running yet because the highway is still closed. (This information is from a phone call to Kantetsu, one of the companies that runs the buses.) (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:43)
• TsukuBus is running as normal, but it is making some detours around roads that have cracks in them. This information is from a phone call to Tsukuba City Hall. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:21)

City Hall

• Midori left a comment below to say that Azuma Public Hall will be closed tomorrow because of a collapsed wall. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:20)

Communication

• TAIRA (our local mailing list) seems to be down. I have sent an email to Tadashi, the list manager, about it. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:47)

Country-based Information (for citizens of countries other than Japan)

• Australia: Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
• Canada: Canada's response to the earthquake in Japan, Travel Report on Japan
• United Kingdom: Help for British Nationals

Earthquake

• According to the Japan Meteorological Agency website, the magnitude of the Sendai Earthquake was 9.0. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:47)
• According to the NHK News website, the chances of an aftershock of magnitude 7 or more happening within the next three days is more than 70%. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 16:22)

Electricity

• As far as I know, electricity has been restored to households in Tsukuba. If that is not true for you, please let me know in the comments and I will try to find out what the situation is by checking the Tokyo Electric Company website.
• I have heard that there will be rolling blackouts throughout eastern Japan, but I have not been able to find any official sources to back up this information. If you can confirm this with an official source, please let us know in the comments. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:57)
• According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry website, we should try our best to conserve electricity. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:15)
• According to the Tokyo Electric Power Company English website, power shortages should be expected. Everyone is encouraged to avoid using unnecessary lighting and electrical equipment. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:18)
• The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry just announced (on NHK) that the possibility of rolling blackouts is very high. They will likely last for three hours each and will continue for two to three weeks. Tokyo Electric Power Company will issue a press release with more information at 6:30pm today. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:48)
• The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry just announced (on NHK) that rolling blackouts will likely start tomorrow morning. They will likely continue for two to three weeks. Tokyo Electric Power Company will issue a press release with more information at 8:00pm today. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:48)

Gasoline

• Gas stations are extremely crowded, so it is hard to get gas. People are saying we may run out. This is unconfirmed as I am not sure how to check this, so please treat the information about gas supplies as a rumour for now. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:34)
• According to the Eneos website, because of the fire at the plant in Sendai and because of problems with delivering gas, there may be gas shortages in some areas. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:31)

Groceries and Shopping

• People are buying up things in the stores. There are shortages. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:45)
• According to Joanne who drove past it this morning, LaLa Garden is closed. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 16:27)

Highway

• According to the Japan Highway website, the Joban highway between Misato Junction (south of Tsukuba, in Saitama) and Iwaki Nakoso (north of Tsukuba, in Fukushima) is closed. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:17)
• According to the Japan Highway website, the Ken-oh highway between Tsukuba Chuo (in Tsukuba) and Inashiki (in south Ibaraki -- on the way to Narita airport) is closed. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:17)

Nuclear Plant

• Video address by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:48)

Pets

• Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support, a coalition of three highly reputable animal rescue groups (HEART-Tokushima, Animal Garden Niigata and Japan Cat Network) are working to rescue, care for and support animals in crisis due to the earthquake and tsunami (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:45)

Restaurants

• Now checking. If you have information about restaurants that are open, please let me know in the comments.

Trains

• According to the Tsukuba Express website, only 50 to 60% of the trains are running and every train is a local (stopping at every station). (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:31)
• According to the news on Fuji TV, the Joban railway line is closed between Toride (Ibaraki Prefecture, to the south of Tsukuba) and Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture, to the north of Tsukuba). (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:40)
• According to the Tsukuba Express website, Tsukuba Express trains will be running as usual tomorrow. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 18:39)

Water

• According to Jon Heese's blog, many households in Tsukuba are currently without water. Please see his blog for ideas about what to do if you are without water. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:20)
• There is a problem with the water supply from Kasumigaura. You can get drinking water from Ninomiya Park, Matsushiro Park, Amakubo, and Takezono Higashi Koen, and the old city hall buildings in Yatabe and Toyosato. Also, you can get water for other purposes (not drinking) from Tsukuba City Hall. People with well water are not affected. This information is from a call to the Tsukuba City Hall Water Department. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:18)
• Stephane added a comment below to say that there is no more water being distributed at Ninomiya Park. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:54)
• Coreen added a comment below to say that there is drinking and non-drinking water at a local fire station. There is no limit but the flow is slowing down. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:29)
• See Avi's comment below. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 18:06)

If there is anything else you want to know about, please leave a comment and we will check into it.

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