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President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prior to their summit at the Blisshill Stay at Yongpyong Resort in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province on Feb. 9.
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The new method utilizes e-mail and cell phone services to confirm safety of Japanese nationals
According to a report carried in the Mainichi Shimbun on February 9, the Japanese government has set up a special system using email and cell-phone services to confirm the safety and whereabouts of Japanese citizens residing in South Korea in cases of emergency. The system was tested in Seoul on January 30 before going into full operation. Japanese citizens who will be out of the country for three months or more are required to register their cell-phone number and email address with the government so that they can be notified of military contingencies, terrorist attacks, or other emergency circumstances. Such notifications include a URL that the recipients are to click on and report their name, age, current location, and safety status. The test conducted on January 30 involved 400 Japanese citizens in Seoul, and the response was good. People on short trips to South Korea can also receive the notifications if they register their contact information with the safety information service known as "Tabireji," operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are about 38,000 Japanese currently residing in South Korea. The Foreign Affairs Ministry plans to introduce similar systems in other countries as well. Previously during emergencies, Japan confirmed the safety status of citizens residing overseas through telephone contact networks set up in cooperation with local Japanese groups such as commerce and industry associations, but the new system, using email and phone short message service, is a faster, more reliable method. Recently the Japanese government has frequently issued reports of risk factors concerning Korea, giving the impression that South Korea is in an unstable situation. In a February 1 posting on its overseas safety website, titled "Concerns regarding the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said, "Public security in South Korea is relatively sound, but compared to Japan, the crime rate is high, with 2.5 times the number of murders and 1.2 times the number of robberies." The ministry also issued warnings about the need for caution after North Korea's missile firing in April 2017, posting on its website a request for all Japanese citizens intending to visit South Korea to register with its travel safety service. By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
