Japan earthquake: The tiny firm that alerts millions about disasters - BBC News

Influenced by a post apocalyptic show, NERV - with just 13 employees - is relied on by millions.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Homes collapsed when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the remote Noto peninsula on New Year's DayBy Mariko OiBusiness reporterWhen a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Japan's remote Noto peninsula on New Year's Day, millions of people were alerted by a small company that has been punching above its weight for years now.

NERV is run by a small private firm called Gehirn - meaning brain in German - with just 13 full-time staff.

Still, its warnings of Japan's frequent earthquakes are often faster than those issued by official bodies and the country's public broadcaster, NHK.

NERV's Japanese-language account on X (formerly Twitter) has 2.2 million followers while another 35,000 people use it in English. Its app, which was launched in September 2019, has been downloaded more than four million times from both the Apple Store and Google Play.

It was created in 2010 as an account by then 19-year-old Daiki Ishimori.

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