A less polite version of Japanese is helping foreigners stay safe during disasters
By Isabella Steger
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With its use of Chinese characters (kanji) and the honorific style of writing, official notices are often unintelligible to elementary learners of Japanese—the term for “evacuation advisory,” or hinan kankoku (避難勧告), is rendered in four complex Chinese characters written in 54 strokes. As Japanese residents responded to the government warnings about rising water levels by moving into shelters, Tan [Shun Wai, a long-time employee at Soja’s City Hall,] sent messages in Portuguese, English, and Spanish to worried foreigners in Soja and in neighboring towns, instructing them to follow suit.
The 45-year-old, who has been in charge of multicultural affairs at City Hall since 2009, became interested in how to better assist foreigners during disasters after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The catastrophe made him realize that incidents where foreigners are at a loss following a natural disaster would become increasingly common in a country plagued by earthquakes, typhoons, heavy rains, and volcanic eruptions—especially with the number of foreign residents and tourists steadily climbing.
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One thing that Tan has identified as crucial to improving communication is simplifying Japanese for situations where time is crucial. Tan is encouraging his colleagues at City Hall to use more yasashii nihongo, or “easy Japanese” when talking to non-Japanese people (“yasashii” can also be translated to mean “friendly”). He’s also considering creating an account on Line, the dominant chat app in Japan—itself a response to one of the country’s worst natural disasters—to communicate with people using easy Japanese.
“I tell people not to use keigo with foreigners,” said Tan, referring to the name for the honorific register in Japanese. “They ask me, ‘What is yasashii nihongo?’ I say it’s like Japanese at a grade three or four level.”
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Health care is another field where there is an urgent need to adopt yasashii nihongo, as the influx of both foreign workers and overseas visitors puts a strain on Japanese hospitals—while a fear of being unable to communicate with Japanese medical staff can sometimes even deter foreigners with serious conditions from seeking help.
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