Japan's Prime Minister has described Friday's earthquake and its aftermath as the biggest crisis Japan has faced since the Second World War. We continue our coverage of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan as we explore Japan's culture of disaster preparedness.

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PART TWO

Japan's Disaster Preparedness - Kaoru Ishikawa

Japan's Prime Minister has described Friday's earthquake and its aftermath as the biggest crisis Japan has faced since the Second World War. The military's emergency response teams have been overwhelmed and the government has appealed to volunteers for help. Meanwhile Japanese citizens abroad have been desperately trying to contact loved ones back home.

Kaoru Ishikawa is Japan's Ambassador to Canada. He was in our Ottawa studio.

Japan's Disaster Preparedness - Tricia Wachtendorf

Tricia Wachtendorf is the Associate Director of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware. She and the rest of her team study the social impacts of disasters, from 9-11 to the Boxing Day Tsunami. She was in Newark, Delaware.

Related Links:

• Japanese prime minister calls for unity in country's 'worst crisis since the war' By Justin McCurry - The Guardian
• With earthquake, Japan faces toughest crisis since WWII, prime minister says By Barbara Demick and David Pierson - Los Angeles Times
  
  
  

Other segments from today's show:

• Japan's Nuclear Safety
• Battle on Parliament Hill: Political Panel