Kumamoto Earthquake Experience Project - KEEP

17/09/2026

Andrew here. This morning, I attended the first tsunagaru networking event since the 2026 Kumamoto earthquakes, held at Suizenji Mutual Aid Hotel Gracia in Kumamoto City.

I spoke about some of the issues faced by foreign residents I was in contact with following the earthquake, including a lack of disaster awareness, difficulties accessing accurate information through government websites, and the particular challenges faced by people who are part of the “minority of minorities” and therefore do not have a community to fall back on in times of disaster.

I also attended the first session of the day, which focused on measures to improve Japanese language ability among foreign residents in Kumamoto Prefecture.

I came to Kumamoto as an international student, so I was fortunate to have relatively easy access to Japanese language lessons through the university and Kumamoto International Centre. However, people who come to Japan as workers do not have the same opportunities that I had.

It was good to see representatives from across Kumamoto Prefecture coming together to discuss how we can improve access to Japanese language education and support for foreign residents.

Today's discussions were very positive, focusing on what has already been achieved while also looking ahead at how we can do even better.

09/09/2026

Andrew here. A reflection piece I wrote on the work of Kumamoto's foreign resident communities after this year's earthquake has been published in The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus.

I write about my own experience of the earthquake, ten years of KEEP, the foreign resident organisations that came together as the tsunagaru network, the efforts of the Indonesian and Vietnamese communities following the earthquake, and why KEEP's messages feel more important than ever.

I've been reading Japan Focus for well over a decade, so it's a real honour to finally have something of my own published there.

Thank you to everyone in the tsunagaru network, both foreign residents and Japanese. While I only play a small part in the network, and played an even smaller part in the relief activities following this year's disaster, I hope to continue doing what I can to raise disaster awareness by sharing what we've experienced and learned.

Please click the link below to read it for free:

https://apjjf.org/2026/9/mitchell

05/09/2026

Andrew here. A news report about the volunteer work I took part in last month aired on KKT, a local news channel, and has also been posted to YouTube.

KKT interviewed me in 2017 about my experience of the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, why we started KEEP, and what I felt needed to be done to support foreign residents. So this report doesn’t just cover what is happening in 2026; it also reflects on my own journey working in the field of disaster resilience over the past ten years.

In 2017 I was asked to speak in English during the interview, so it was nice to have the opportunity in this report to speak in Japanese. I could share my thoughts on why I wanted to volunteer and why disaster preparedness is important for everyone, in a language that viewers in homes across Kumamoto could easily understand.

I’m also happy to say that, having looked through the comments on the video, the vast majority have been positive. There are often a lot of critical comments posted online these days, so it’s nice to see people responding positively to this kind of activity.

What I did was a small thing, but hopefully it will encourage more people living in Japan, whether foreign or Japanese, to think about what they can do if a disaster affects their area.

熊本地震での避難所生活が続く中、一つの支えとなっているのがボランティアによる炊き出しです。その中に、10年前の地震で被災したイギリス...

17/08/2026

Andrew here. Yesterday I took part in a volunteer activity in Yatsushiro organised by the Japanese Association for the Employment of Foreign Nationals (JAEFN / 外国人雇用協議会).

Working alongside a Nepali chef who lives in Fukuoka and drove down to Kumamoto in his food van, a Nepali assistant professor and a Nepali master's student from Kumamoto University (thank you to Hari Devkota for inviting me to take part), a Nepali engineer working in Kumamoto, and two Japanese volunteers, we gave out around 250 free meals of chicken keema curry and naan to people staying at Yatsushiro Toyooka Chiken Arena.

Around 300 people are currently staying at the shelter, many because there is still no running water at their homes. Everyone is having to cope with the difficult circumstances of living in a communal evacuation shelter for almost three weeks now. While everybody is doing their best, some have additional challenges to deal with: some are elderly and have mobility issues, while others have babies or young children to care for.

For many of those who received a meal, it was their first time trying Nepali curry. I'm happy to say that it seemed to go down very well. Some people even came back after lunch to ask if they could have a second portion. Everyone was very grateful, and it was genuinely nice to see people enjoying something a little different in what has been a difficult situation for them.

My own contribution was small, but it was good to be able to do something practical to help. It was also encouraging to see that we weren't the only volunteers there. At least one other food truck was also giving away meals to people in need.

Life in an evacuation shelter is obviously difficult, but I was also reassured by how well organised everything was. There were set meal times, snacks available free of charge, doctors and other support staff on site to help with health problems and provide regular check-ups, and a police presence.

Despite the circumstances, everyone seemed remarkably calm. People helped each other, and children played together, including around a charging station as they played their Switch 2s. In fact, the loudest thing I heard all afternoon was the cheering of people watching baseball on TV.

I was also interviewed by KKT, a local news station, about how my experience this time differs from what I saw ten years ago.

I said that one of the biggest differences is that foreign residents are now much better able to contribute to the recovery effort in whatever way they can. Ten years ago, many of us simply did what we could, often without knowing what others were doing. Now, there is excellent coordination between the different communities and organisations involved in volunteer work across Kumamoto.

This network is something we have all built over the years since 2016, and it has proved invaluable since the earthquake hit last month. It couldn't stop the devastation caused by the earthquake, but it has allowed us to coordinate our recovery efforts and support each other.

The KKT reporter also asked me if I had a message for their audience. I said that KEEP's original message from 2016 still seems particularly pertinent:

Let's KEEP together.

In a disaster, we're all just human beings trying to do our best. I hope this way of thinking can also become part of how we live our everyday lives.

14/08/2026

This message about increased volcanic activity has been shared with KEEP. If you are in the area, or are planning to visit, please take note.

For people living near Mount Aso:

The volcanic alert level has been raised from Level 2 to Level 3.

Mount Aso also erupted around the time of the 2016 earthquake. However, Mount Aso does not normally release magma, so please do not be overly worried about that.

Volcanic eruptions often produce ash. If ash gets into your eyes, it can be painful. Use eye drops if necessary.

When you return home, wash or wipe the ash off your face.

People with asthma or other respiratory problems should wear a mask.

If you notice a rusty or metallic taste in your mouth, rinse and gargle with water.

If volcanic ash gets on your car windows, wash it off with water. Do not try to remove the ash with the windshield wipers, as this may damage or scratch the glass.

When the alert level is Level 3, always remain aware of volcanic activity when going about your daily life. Check official announcements, warnings, and local information regularly.

06/08/2026

Andrew here. On Tuesday 4th August, I gave a talk to around 40 undergraduate students in an English debate class at Kumamoto University. The topic had been planned for months: how can people be helped during disasters?

Then last week's earthquake happened.

Instead of discussing a hypothetical scenario, where we could reflect on the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes and what we would do if they happened again, we were able to reflect on our own experiences, which thankfully were not so difficult given our distance from the epicentre of the quake. The class became a discussion about what had actually happened, what support we and people across Kumamoto had received, and whether local communities or the government were more important at different stages of the disaster response.

All the students were great. They thought deeply about the issues and discussed them in small groups using excellent English, developing thoughtful arguments and counterarguments. Of course, the support of both the community and the government is vital, but the students rose to the challenge I set, thinking about exactly why this is the case, what the differences in support are, and what they think can be improved.

One discussion that stood out from a group I observed focused on the speed with which air conditioners were delivered to evacuation centres by the Japanese Self-Defence Forces. One student argued that the government's response had improved significantly since 2016. Another raised an interesting counterpoint: wasn't that because this earthquake wasn't followed by a second major disaster, unlike the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes? It was a great point, and one that is being missed by some of the media reporting on last week's earthquake: each disaster is different and the situation we faced this time is different in non-trivial ways from what happened ten years ago.

Another discussion also surprised me. Two Japanese students said they stayed at home after the earthquake because they didn't know where their nearest evacuation site was. We often assume that this is primarily a challenge faced by foreign residents who lack Japanese language ability and disaster awareness, but it was a useful reminder that disaster preparedness is something many of us need to improve, regardless of nationality.

Activities like this matter. They encourage us to think about disaster preparedness and disaster response not simply as something that happens somewhere else, or as something where, if it happens, we become passive recipients of assistance. We need to think of these situations as active members of our communities who question, discuss, and ultimately help shape how we prepare for, and respond to, future disasters.

It also reminded me of KEEP's first message, formed in 2016: Let's KEEP Together. In a disaster, we are all victims, regardless of nationality, and all that matters is coming together and doing the best we can to secure our lives and start the recovery process. While KEEP focuses on disaster preparedness for foreign residents, because this is where the awareness and knowledge gap is often greatest, this class was a stark reminder of how much we all need to do as residents of Japan to help one another in times of need.

Thank you to Lander Sims at Kumamoto University for giving me the opportunity to speak with his class, and to the students for their efforts, not only in developing thoughtful arguments but in doing so in a second language.

05/08/2026

This NHK World report gives a good overview of some of the challenges foreign residents have faced, speaking with both affected Vietnamese near the epicenter who are doing their best to help others and describing the efforts of Kumamoto International Foundation to offer multilingual support.

The quake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture also upended the lives of foreign residents. We look at how some jumped in to help rescue an elderly woman and how another tragically lost their life.

02/08/2026

Andrew here. From what I have read from the posts of personal contacts, the Vietnamese association in Kumamoto is doing a lot in the main disaster area. Many of their nationals live there as technical interns, and it is very nice to hear that their community has come together after this disaster not only to support its own members but others as well. On a more sombre note, a funeral service was held in a Kumamoto church for the Vietnamese worker who died in the earthquake.

As I have mentioned before, many have asked me about volunteering and the answer I give is always the same: I have not heard of any widespread calls for volunteers. It is heartwarming though to see so many people who want to do something, anything, to help. If the authorities do ask for help, we hope many of them will be able to do so.

Thirty-eight are now reported as having perished in this disaster, and we seem to have our first case of somebody dying through an indirect cause: an older Japanese resident suffering fatal heat stroke after their car ran out of petrol. This is a potential killer at this time of year. We can only hope that more cool facilities are kept open and petrol supplies find their way to the affected areas as quickly as possible to help keep generators as well as personal vehicles running. Kumamoto International Centre has now closed as an evacuation shelter but specifically said on its page that it will stay open during the day so people can cool down if they need to. There are also water fountains there, so people can rehydrate while escaping this summer heat.

I went to Yamaga today in the north of Kumamoto for lunch and realised once again that disasters take many forms and that the economic impact of the disaster will be felt far and wide in terms of reduced tourism to the area. I have heard some businesses speak about the risk of bankruptcy if the number of customers drops significantly. This is a little spoken about part of such natural disasters, but one which can destroy people's lives far away from the disaster zone, sending small businesses under and leaving families without a livelihood.

One doughnut shop in Yamaga though wishes to do its best to help how it can. Tomorrow it will take its freshly baked doughnuts, ones designed to be much healthier, to the disaster area and distribute them to people in evacuation shelters. Such an act may seem small in the scheme of things, but it helps those who now find themselves stuck in shelters enjoy a tasty treat and a brief respite from the many stresses they are facing.

As a final note, I visited Kumamoto Castle today. One of the keep's stone walls has partially collapsed, though thankfully the damage is not so great. In the photo below you can see the concrete on the top of the keep wall to the left of the damaged section. This concrete is not only covering damage from 2016. Such areas can be seen around the castle and are sections of wall where engineers judged the risk of rebuilding them in stone to be too great, so they reinforced them with concrete instead. I am glad to see that these fixes did their job.

01/08/2026

Andrew here. For the most part, it was a regular Saturday where I live. However, the Hinokuni Festival, which was due to take place in the city tonight, was cancelled for obvious reasons.

My local supermarket now has bread again, a small but reassuring sign that less affected areas like mine are beginning to return to normal. I did notice a sign in the supermarket, though, which translated as “Are you prepared for an emergency?” Beneath it was a large display of bottled drinks, perhaps the most important thing people need in this summer heat.

I also checked a stone bridge close to where I live. There are now visible gaps between some of the stone sections of the parapet, and while that section has been cordoned off, the bridge is still freely accessible to pedestrians. I have yet to visit Kumamoto Castle, but I plan to do so either tomorrow or early next week. It is sad to see the damage to the stone walls there after so much effort has been put into repairs over the last ten years. However, the damage is minimal compared with ten years ago and with what has happened elsewhere in the prefecture.

In the most heavily affected areas, things now appear to be slowly moving from the emergency response phase into recovery. The search at the Aeon Mall site, where the explosion occurred, has now concluded, with seven people confirmed to have lost their lives. It is harrowing to watch the drone footage that has been released, showing debris scattered everywhere. I had visited that mall many times, and while watching the footage I found myself thinking about the many times I had walked along those concourses or browsed those shops.

Across Kumamoto Prefecture, thirty-six people have now been confirmed dead. I can only hope that this number does not rise further due to health problems that can develop from prolonged exposure to the heat or from sleeping in cars.

There was also a news story about four Vietnamese residents living in Hiwaka, one of the hardest-hit areas, and the difficulties they are facing in an evacuation shelter. The story highlights the concerns and challenges many foreign residents experience when going through something like this, especially for the first time.

I also spoke with a reporter who had interviewed the four residents. They told me that communication between the Vietnamese residents and the evacuation shelter staff had been difficult because only one of them spoke enough Japanese to communicate comfortably. None of the four had smartphones, meaning they could not use the disaster information or translation apps that have proved so useful to many others.

This is something we need to think about for the future. How do we ensure that basic communication is still possible when electronic devices are not available? It is a challenge that will only become more important as Japan’s foreign resident population, and the number of inbound tourists, continues to grow.

01/08/2026

Andrew here. I was interviewed by Kyodo News yesterday about the recent earthquake, the work I do with KEEP, and, most importantly, why I think it's so important to keep sharing the message of disaster preparedness with anyone living in a disaster-prone area.

Lessons from powerful earthquakes a decade ago helped a British man overcome his initial panic when a magnitude 7.1 quake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday.