Following the Kamchatka earthquake off the coast of Russia in July of last year, a report by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism found that 155 facilities nationwide closed their floodgates after the expected arrival time of the resulting tsunami. The investigation revealed that a significant number of these late closures occurred in Hokkaido, raising concerns about preparedness and response protocols in the region.

The report highlights the dangers associated with delayed closure of floodgates, particularly following the tragic events of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, where numerous firefighters lost their lives while attempting to close gates in the face of imminent tsunamis. In response to these findings, the ministry has urged facility managers to cease operations and evacuate before the predicted tsunami arrival time to ensure safety, with continued emphasis on maintaining safety rules established post-2011 for such emergency situations.

During the Kamchatka earthquake event, tsunami warnings were issued approximately 10 minutes after the tremor, transitioning to a tsunami alert about an hour later. In Hokkaido, the timing of these changes led to confusion, as some facilities were unable to close their gates in time for the predicted tsunami height of up to three meters, which differed from initial warnings suggesting a maximum height of one meter. Fortunately, actual tsunami arrivals were later and lower than expected, preventing any associated damage during the gate closure operations.