Tokyo firefighters mark start of New Year

About 2,700 firefighters and volunteers have held a ceremony in Tokyo marking the start of the New Year.

Tokyo Fire Department head, Yuji Arai, said his department aims to encourage disaster prevention in the community through anti-fire drills.

Performers wearing Happi coats gave a traditional acrobatic performance atop long ladders.

A rescue drill was held on the assumption that a powerful earthquake had hit the capital, causing a tsunami.

Drill participants used heavy machinery to remove debris to get to the injured on the ground, while helicopters were deployed at sea to rescue those swept away.

The ceremony ended with applause from spectators as a fleet of fire engines, vessels and helicopters sprayed massive jets of water.