Opinion ¥1,000 life insurance By Scott T. Hards	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
千円の生命保険 住宅密集地が多い日本では、いったん火事が起こるとその火が近所に広がることも多い。一般家庭でも気軽に設置できる火災警報機があればいいのだが…。

In early May, Japan's worst building fire in 10 years took the lives of 11 people living in a construction company's dormitory. Just two weeks later, six members of a family perished in Shizuoka when their home burned. These tragedies followed the long winter, which is a time of almost daily news reports of house fires, some involving fatalities. Sadly, many of those who die are senior citizens, who are slow to notice a fire, or unable to flee from it.

In 2000, 34,011 building fires destroyed or damaged 76,630 structures in Japan. Over half of these were residences. In all fires nationwide, 2,040 people died. While far less than the number of people who die in traffic accidents each year, it's quite clear that house fires present a major safety issue for Japan.

Of course, places like hotels and factories usually have sophisticated fire detection and extinguishing systems in place that help prevent tragedies from happening in the first place. And now, many of Japan's security and surveillance companies offer sophisticated (though expensive!) systems for detecting fires in the home, some even automatically summoning the fire department. However, only a tiny fraction of Japan's citizens live in homes that are so-equipped. Given the danger, isn't there something that can be easily done to protect people better?

Well, yes, there is. And that's the problem. An incredibly cheap and effective solution exists, but here in Japan, it's almost unheard of. I'm talking about smoke detectors.

In the United States, many cities have passed laws that require the installation of battery-operated smoke detectors in all new residences. And many have gone so far as to require them in all homes, regardless of when they were built. And why not? These simple devices are incredibly effective at detecting a fire (and no, they don't go off simply because somebody is enjoying a cigarette!), and then sounding an alarm loud enough to wake up anybody.

Perhaps more importantly, they are also almost unbelievably cheap. On a recent trip to the United States, I saw a basic model being sold in a large store for just $6.98. At current exchange rates, that's not even ¥1,000! More advanced models that detect other things such as natural gas, or that are equipped with emergency lights are also available, but even these only cost about $40 (¥4,880).

Here in Japan, the law requires their installation in apartment buildings with more than 500 sq. meters of floor space, but this leaves out all small apartment buildings and private residences. Worse, most home centers in Japan don't even carry smoke detectors. And if you can find one, expect to pay at least ¥5,000.

Because of the tightly-packed nature of many residential neighborhoods in Japan, the risk of a fire spreading to other homes is quite large. So in many cases, a simple smoke detector can protect not just a single family, but a whole neighborhood of families.

And if you can do that for just ¥1,000, then I think it's about time somebody thought about passing a law. Yes, you may have to press the reset button once in a while when mom accidentally burns dinner, but it's the cheapest life (and fire!) insurance you'll ever buy.

Shukan ST: Aug. 3, 2001

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