Google Public Alerts Expands Into Japan

Google Public Alerts is excited to announce that it is now available in Japan.

Recognizing that people turn to the Internet for information when disaster strikes, Google launched Public Alerts last year to provide accurate and relevant emergency information in the U.S. Today marks the first international expansion of the service to a country that experiences nearly 5,000 earthquakes a year.

Now, when Japanese search for relevant, emergency information on Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Now, they'll see any and all alerts on their screen. Something as simple as searching "Kanagawa Prefecture" during an emergency can prompt users with timely details.

Under the alert, a link, in Japanese, for "more info" will be displayed. Clicking it will provide more details, like arrival times, and wave heights for tsunamis, as well as a full description from the Japan Meterological Agency.

Android customers who also use Google Now will see tailored location-based information. If a customer is in Tokyo at the time of a tsunami alert, Google Now will display the relevant evacuation information.

Google created Public Alerts in Japan in conjunction with the Japan Meteorological Agency. So far, Google has partnered with 14 prefectures and cities in Japan. This includes seven regions in the Tohoku region, which was left devastated after the Tohoku Earthquake struck Japan only two years ago.

Google Public Alerts now looks to expand into more to more countries.

The article Google Public Alerts Expands Into Japan originally appeared on Fool.com.

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