Japan has held annual exercises to prepare for disasters but this year it isn't just the danger of earthquakes and tsunamis that is on the minds of many people - the threat of North Korean missiles also looms large.
Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries and it carries out disaster drills every year on September 1, the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 that killed at least 100,000 people and devastated Tokyo.
Military helicopters clattered over Tokyo as authorities practised for a 7.3 magnitude quake directly under the capital.
"In order to save even one additional life, we will promote preventive measures to tackle various types of disasters and a well-balanced disaster prevention plan based on self-help, public assistance and cooperation," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after taking part in a drill.
Towns in north Japan took the opportunity to remind residents what to do, not only when Mother Nature strikes but when a North Korean missile approaches too.
On Tuesday, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over northern Japan, triggering widespread emergency warnings that jolted millions awake, before it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
Sirens blared again on Friday in towns like Takikawa in the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, and residents took cover inside, in line with government warnings to seek shelter below ground or in a solid building.
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