Over One Million Participants Join Toyokumo's National Safety Drill in 2026

National Safety Drill 2026: A Milestone for Toyokumo

In a remarkable achievement, Toyokumo Inc., headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, successfully conducted its nationwide safety drill for the 'Safety Confirmation Service 2' on September 1, 2026, coinciding with Disaster Prevention Day. This year, a record-breaking 1,094,942 individuals from 2,629 participating companies and organizations participated, marking the first time that the number of participants exceeded one million.

During this drill, an impressive 827,078 users provided feedback regarding their safety status, with 96.1% expressing confidence that they could respond effectively during an actual disaster scenario. This response highlights the efficacy and reliability of the system, which is designed to be accessible to all users, ensuring comprehensive participation and engagement.

Understanding the Nationwide Drill

The nationwide drill is an annual event conducted every September 1 for all organizations contracted to use the Safety Confirmation Service 2. Every user registered within the participating companies receives a safety confirmation notification simultaneously, mimicking real emergency situations without prior notice.

This approach not only tests the system's stability during peak times — akin to what would occur during a real disaster — but also allows companies to analyze their performance. Participants receive detailed reports post-drill, comparing their response rates and times against average figures across all companies, which supports their ongoing improvements.

The scale of this year's participation is astounding when compared to the first drill conducted in 2018, which involved only 354 companies and approximately 83,806 participants. Over the years, the event has grown, with participant numbers increasing by approximately 7.4 times and overall participation surging by roughly 13.1 times since the inaugural event.

Results of the 2026 Drill

The analysis following the nationwide drill yielded significant insights. With an average response rate of 81.2%, participants took an average of 53.3 minutes to complete the safety confirmation, even with a marked increase in participant numbers. This maintained the same response rate as the previous year, demonstrating the system’s reliability despite growth in scale.

The peak response times showed considerable efficiency, with the most frequent responses occurring within 10.6 minutes, a notable improvement from earlier years.

Participants provided feedback on their response experience, with a majority (96.1%) feeling confident about their ability to respond during actual disaster situations. Moreover, 89.2% reported that they found the response process easy to understand.

Responding to Notifications

Participants noted that 74.3% became aware of the drill notification via email, the primary channel for communication. Other channels included the dedicated application notifications and LINE, which saw a significant increase from 1.2% in the previous year to 5.8% this year — a strong testament to evolving engagement methods. Furthermore, the majority (70.6%) used smartphones to respond, showing the modern preference for mobile accessibility.

Recognizing Excellence with the Good Safety Confirmation Award

To promote a culture of proactive disaster preparedness, Toyokumo also introduces the 'Good Safety Confirmation Award,' recognizing companies that achieve outstanding results in the drill. The criteria for selection include response rates, speed, and overall performance during the exercises. The award winners will be announced on October 15, 2026, emphasizing the importance of collective engagement in business continuity planning (BCP).

Leadership Message

Yuji Yamamoto, President and CEO of Toyokumo, expressed gratitude for the participation and the collaborative effort from all organizations involved. He emphasized the importance of realistic testing scenarios to gauge system performance under pressure.

The Safety Confirmation Service 2 has surpassed 5,000 contracts as of July 2026 and is a reliable tool supporting disaster recovery efforts by providing not only the means for safety confirmations but also communication channels for further instructions and information sharing after a disaster.

For more information on the Safety Confirmation Service 2 and Toyokumo's initiatives, you can visit their official website.