Prior to the disaster, the Japanese government had established a “WideArea Support System,” which can be used to mobilize a range of response resources available to the national government: National Police Agency Inter-Prefectural Emergency Rescue Units; Fire and Disaster Management Agency Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT); and resources of the Japan Coast Guard. This system can dispatch Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel, as well as DMAT teams and ambulances for victim transport to hospitals outside the damaged areas. The reconnaissance team could not determine whether the national resources were dispatched based on prefectural requests or by a national government initiative (an “event trigger”).