Indonesia and Japan develop mosque loudspeakers as earthquake warning alarms

The Indonesian government is collaborating with Japan to develop mosque loudspeakers as part of an earthquake early warning system—a concrete measure to mitigate damage and reduce disaster risks caused by the tremors that frequently strike the Indonesian archipelago.

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Indonesia aims to conduct trials of this earthquake early warning system in Jakarta and several other regions by 2030, prior to its nationwide implementation. In undertaking this strategic project, Indonesia is receiving support from Japan, a country with experience in deploying similar systems. Furthermore, like Japan, Indonesia is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

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A joint Indonesian-Japanese team has been established with support from the Japanese government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme. This research team began its work in 2025 across three provinces in western Java, including the Jakarta area, as part of a five-year pilot project.

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The idea is that, in addition to relying on radio wave communication, local mosques will be used to disseminate earthquake early warning information to the general public. Signals and hazard alerts will be broadcast through mosque loudspeakers typically used for the call to prayer. This cultural approach is considered highly strategic, given that Muslims make up approximately 90% of Indonesia’s total population.

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Speaking to the British daily newspaper The Guardian in an article published on Monday, 12th of October, Dr Inoue Hiroshi, the project lead from Kyoto University’s Disaster Prevention Research Institute in Japan, described the pilot scheme as an idea initially conceived nearly 20 years ago during research into deadly earthquakes in Sumatra, Indonesia. Inoue is now collaborating with the Indonesian government to evaluate the possibility of implementing an early warning system similar to Japan’s.