The death toll continues to mount from the killer tsunami that followed Sunday's quake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This is yet another acute reminder of the unimaginable power of destruction lurking beneath the Earth's crust.

According to ``Sekai Shinwa Densetsu Taikei'' (Compendium of myths and folklore of the world) published by Meicho Fukyu-kai, a Sumatran folk tale explains the cause of earthquakes as follows: A son of a god in heaven created a land between heaven and the nether world, plunging the latter into total darkness. This infuriated the ruler of the nether world, who shook the new land violently from below and destroyed it. After the land was shored up with support braces, the ground became more solid, but it still heaves whenever the ruler of the nether world shakes.

Like Japan, the area around Indonesia is prone to giant earthquakes. A temblor that struck the Flores Island in 1992 triggered a tsunami that killed many people. According to a survey-team report compiled by the then-education ministry, the majority of islanders knew nothing about the mechanism of tsunami, and most did not even flee until they saw the sea rise before their eyes.

The Japanese team reportedly advised the Indonesian government to have a regular tsunami watch team to observe the seas whenever a tremor is felt. Also, the team said: Erect fire watch towers with fire alert bells, and build sloping roads that will enable even old people and small children to evacuate easily to higher ground.

Traditional thinking about earthquakes and tsunami and how to be prepared against them varies from island to island. And such know-how is not always shared across the seas.

Sunday's giant tsunami traveled at the speed of a jet plane and caused massive damage to Sri Lanka and India and even the east coast of Africa.

I was pained to understand that tsunami alerts covered only the Pacific side of Indonesia, leaving the Indian Ocean side virtually unprotected. Rescue and aid work must be of foremost priority right now, but building an international network to reassure the survivors is the next urgent task.

This is a chance for Japan to contribute its know-how as an earthquake nation.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 28(IHT/Asahi: December 29,2004)