Customer Experience

Japanese manufacturer deploys vending machines for natural disaster relief

Image: Adobe Stock.

June 2, 2023

Earth Corp., a Tokyo-based manufacturer of pharmaceuticals and other consumer products, has installed two vending machines in Ako, a western coastal city, to provide free food and beverages in the event of a typhoon or earthquake, according to a report in The Guardian.

Ako is an area that is vulnerable to earthquakes, according to seismologists.

The machines, offering around 300 beverage bottles and cans and 150 emergency food items, including nutritional supplements, have been installed near buildings designated as evacuation shelters.

The machines will automatically make the products available for free in event of an evacuation order or severe rain warning.