Defibrillators to be installed in Naha convenience stores

Naha City will install AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machines to all 24-hour convenience stores in Naha City by the end of March.

There are a total of 118 24-hour convenience stores within Naha City. Naha City will bear the cost of installing the machines. Naha City is the first municipality in the Kyushu area (southern Japan) to install the machines throughout the city.

Naha officials say that there 17,307 emergency calls in the city in 2011, the largest number ever, and the large number has sometimes caused delays in the arrival of an ambulance. A case of a cardiopulmonary arrest lasting over three minutes, or a respiration arrest over five minutes causes the resuscitation rate to fall under 50%. Installing AEDs in all convenience stores will help sufferers’ chances until a rescue team arrives.

Naha City will install AEDs in all convenience stores in Naha City step by step starting Mar. 1. City officials count FamilyMart has 58, Lawson 47, and Coco Stores 13 branches within the city.

Currently, AEDs have already been installed in large shopping centers or community facilities, but people cannot use them midnight or holidays because those facilities are closed.

Also, an AED is a portable machine, so they can be taken out from stores. If you know that AEDs are installed in convenience stores, you can pick it up at the nearest in an emergency.

18:55 29 Mar , 2024