Foreign Residents and Disaster Preparedness in Kobe City: The Role of Language Proficiency and Risk

Kobe City, Japan, has become one of the leading innovators and adopters of disaster prevention strategies and technologies since the 1995 Great Hanshin–Awaji Earthquake, one of Japan’s deadliest disasters. In the years that have followed, the foreign population of Kobe City has risen by approximately 36% and is expected to continue growing. This paper investigates the factors that increase the likelihood of foreign residents participating in community-based disaster prevention behaviors and to be aware of official sources of disaster prevention information. It uses probit analysis with original data from the 2023 Kobe City Foreign Residents Survey and the WorldRiskIndex. The study reveals that certain factors, such as language ability, are highly nuanced and may not be as strong a barrier to adequate disaster prevention knowledge in Japan as commonly believed. It also identifies potential key points for information distribution. However, regardless of nationality or the risk of disaster in their countries of origin, survey results indicate that foreign residents are not active participants in disaster prevention behaviors, nor are they widely aware of the official services and materials.