through measures such as setting up provisional replacement antennas at radio relay stations.

In addition, police communication facilities in the Tohoku/Kanto region suffered power outages immediately after the earthquake, and as the power supply was unstable mainly in the affected areas, the police utilized emergency generators to secure power for radio relay stations and also transported fuel on foot to maintain fuel supplies for the emergency generators of radio relay stations near mountaintops in order to keep police communication facilities functioning.

## 2 ) Mobile Police Communication Squads

## Activities

In addition to gathering communications equipment and emergency generators from the Info-Communications departments of all prefectures to the affected areas, dispatched Mobile Police Communications Squads operated these equipments to secure necessary communications for the activities of the IERU and other units.

[The voice of a dispatch unit officer] Feeling the reality of connecting the nation's police communications systems

## Tetsuya Suzuki, Technical Official, Mobile

Communications Division, Info-Communications

Dept., Wakayama Prefectural Police

Arriving at the site late at night on March 12, the day after the earthquake, darkness covered the scene as the streetlights and traffic lights were not operating due to power outages. Under the circumstance, the sounds of the police radio were ringing out continuously, conveying the damage status and the activity status of all the police units, and as the only police communications officer accompanying a unit of about twenty officers, I felt a renewed sharpening of my own focus.

As an officer accompanying the IERU, my tasks were to provide support by securing police communications for the unit's activities such as rescuing victims and conducting searches for missing persons that were swept away by the tsunami in Noda Village. During the unit's activities when it was necessary to maintain close communications between the site of activities and the Disaster Security Headquarters, I was able to utilize various types of communications equipment to secure communications even in places where mobile phones could not be used.

In addition, while engaged in activities, evacuation orders following tsunami warnings due to aftershocks were frequently issued over the police radio, and these orders were also conveyed to the local residents via police officers. I felt encouraged by the idea the “command network” of the police was also the “command network” of the victims, and felt proud to be involved in police communications.

Drawing greatly on the experience I have gained through my involvement in the unit’s activities, I will continue to secure and maintain police communications to the best of my ability.

Mobile Police Communications Squad officers setting up provisional communications equipment

## Main Issues for Review on the Maintenance of Police Info-Communications

Working on improving overall disaster resistance and mobility of info-communications infrastructure by upgrading the police fundamental communications network, improving mobility of mobile police communications activities and other matters in order to maintain info-communications necessary for police activities at disaster sites even when the dedicated lines of telecommunications companies have been disrupted and power supplies have become unstable.

## 2 Response to Missing Persons and the Deceased

(1) Searching for Missing Persons

Approximately 16,000 bodies were found and recovered by the police in the three affected prefectures. In particular, as there was a danger of exposure to radiation in the vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, large-scale search activities could not be conducted in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. However, once it was determined that the use of radioactive dust protection suits would allow search activities to be conducted safely, the Fukushima Prefectural Police and units dispatched by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) entered the 20km-radius exclusion zone on April 7, 2011, and were the first units to commence large-scale searches. Furthermore, these units entered the