Alert! Even the best warning systems can be made better

It is a response nurtured through having lived in Tokyo for many years and having experienced countless scary jolts that are a frequent occurrence in Japan, especially during the summer and autumn months.

If the shaking gets any stronger, my next instinct is to jump up and make sure that the door of the room is left ajar in case I have to make a dash for it.

After that, I turn on the television set.

If it is indeed a tremor, and not just the banging of a pile driver at a nearby construction site, confirmation of it from Japan's nationwide quake alert system will be flashed on the screen within seconds.

The information, available only in Japanese, gives at a glance the magnitude of the shock in various areas, as well as the rough location and depth of the epicenter, and if a tsunami is expected.

Over the years, the Japanese have refined their warning systems, which form part of their arsenal to deal with quakes and their aftermath.

Yet, despite all the research that has gone into it so far, predicting earthquakes still cannot be made with great accuracy.

But as quakes, like typhoons and other natural disasters, cannot be avoided, the Japanese have turned preparedness into a national obsession.

Since 1960, the country has been observing a Disaster Prevention Day annually on Sept 1, the day which marks the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 which devastated Tokyo, Yokohama and surrounding prefectures, and killed more than 140,000 people.

The day sees disaster prevention drills conducted in municipalities throughout the nation, with the prime minister, outfitted in beige-colored work clothes, personally leading the drill in Tokyo to underline the importance of the exercise.

The prime minister's role involves giving orders for the mobilization of the military and rescue services in case of a major disaster, and directing the national crisis management centre.

Meanwhile, on the ground, residents take part in various drills, including learning how to prepare people for evacuation, carry the wounded on stretchers and, especially in a metropolis such as Tokyo, give directions to people inside crowded train stations and other facilities to avoid confusion and panic.

A very strong sense of social discipline and community, instilled through the Japanese education system, has helped the people to deal with disasters more efficiently, and in a more dignified manner, than in other nations.

The 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, centered on the city of Kobe and which killed more than 6,400 people, was the most powerful since 1923.

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