Thread: Strong quake prompts tsunami warning Japan

First rice harvested at Shiroyone Senmaida rice terraces in quake-hit Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture

In Shiroyone Senmaida rice terraces in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, approximately 100 rice paddy owners and high school students harvested rice on September 7 for the first time after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

Most of the 1004 rice terraces suffered damage, including cracks, from the earthquake on Jan. 1. Shiroyone Aiko Kai, the local group responsible for maintaining the terraces, restored approximately 120 before the plowing season. A group of locals volunteered to plant rice in May.

Paddy owners chose Noto Hikari, an early season variety developed by the prefecture to secure longer time for restoration works after harvesting.

The rice harvest began on September 3 and continued until 8. Volunteers and dispatched officials from all over the country participated in the harvesting.

Students from Wajima High School joined the harvesting team two years in a row. Ayaka Sakaguchi, 16, said she is worried because she heard that there are fewer people to take over the rice paddy.

Hiroyuki Yamashita, a 65-year-old member of the group maintaining the terraces, instructed the students how to bundle harvested rice. He said, “I’m so thankful. We need young people to protect the tradition that requires a lot of workforces.” Many of the terraces still have many invisible cracks. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we will continue to work hard on the restoration even after the rice harvest,” he continued.

News in Pictures / Heavy Rain Devastates Japan’s Earthquake-Hit Noto

Heavy rain poured down on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, already battered by a major earthquake on New Year’s Day. Rivers broke their banks and landslides occurred due to record-breaking rainfall from Saturday, leaving several people dead and others missing.

The Noto Peninsula Earthquake caused extensive damage mainly in the Okunoto region, which includes the cities of Wajima and Suzu, and the towns of Anamizu and Noto. A total of 336 people were killed in these four municipalities, and 25,008 houses were destroyed or damaged. Some of the damaged roofs were still covered with blue sheets as the torrential rain came down.

The quake-damaged home of a 73-year-old woman in Noto flooded after rainwater entered through cracks in the walls. “The area in front of my house was also covered by water; it was like an ocean. Things are as bad as they could get with the earthquake, and then this,” she said.

The fire department received an emergency call in Wajima on Saturday saying a car with a man inside had been swept away. The man managed to escape and was rescued by a boat after being found holding onto a tree and a utility pole. His car is believed to have been caught up in a swollen river.

Restaurant in Wajima hopes to reopen following quake and torrential rain

The owners of a restaurant on Japan's Noto Peninsula are hoping to reopen next spring. The eatery in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, has been affected by mudslides caused by recent record rainfall in the middle of efforts to recover from the New Year's Day earthquake.

A married couple, Okuno Masaru and Okuno Tsuruko, runs the restaurant Imashin on the roadside along the Japan Sea coast. Near the restaurant was a coastal rock formation in the shape of a window that attracted many tourists.

The opening in the rock was about two-meters across and visitors enjoyed watching the sun set through it, but the earthquake caused the formation to collapse.

The couple shut their doors in January due to the lack of a water supply and other obstacles. They had been planning to reopen in October, but torrential downpours earlier this month brought mud down from a nearby mountain that buried the road.

Okuno Tsuruko said people in the region were deeply shocked by damage from the rain on top of the loss of the famed rock formation.

But her husband Masaru said the restaurant can reopen after road repairs make progress.

He said he wants to do his best to see customers smiling again as early as next spring.

Gov't allocates Y=132.5 bil for disaster relief, election

The Japanese government has decided to spend around 132.5 billion yen from reserve funds to support reconstruction efforts in a disaster-hit peninsula and to cover costs for the upcoming general election later this month.

It will be the first time for the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who took office earlier this month, to allocate reserve funds, which the government can use at its discretion without parliamentary approval.

About 50.9 billion yen will be used to rebuild roads and public facilities and for other projects in the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit by a strong earthquake on New Year's Day and by heavy rains last month, the government said.

Another 81.6 billion yen is earmarked for the House of Representatives election and voting on whether to retain Supreme Court justices, both on Oct 27.

Ishiba's decision to use reserve funds for Noto reconstruction could become one of the key issues in the lower house election campaign kicking off next week, with the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan urging the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition government to compile a supplementary budget instead.

It is the seventh allocation from the reserve funds for Noto since the January disaster, when Ishiba's predecessor, Fumio Kishida, was in office, bringing the total to about 715 billion yen. A part of the total was disbursed from the reserve funds for the previous fiscal year that ended this March.

Voters in Japan's Noto hit by quake, rain call for support to rebuild

Voters in Ishikawa Prefecture, struck by a strong earthquake on the Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day, are calling for government support for swift reconstruction, but some have lamented that "now is not the time for elections" given the region was also hit by record heavy rainfall last month.

At the Wakura Onsen hot spring resort in Nanao, one of the areas significantly affected by the Jan. 1 earthquake, staff from shuttered "ryokan" inns and others in the tourism industry listened to stump speeches by candidates in the upcoming House of Representatives election, advocating for reconstruction.

"If the inns do not reopen, the town will not regain its vitality. I want support to quickly restore our former hot spring town," said 88-year-old Tazuko Tada.

A fisherman in his 80s at a water supply station in Suzu expressed frustration that the city, hit hard by both the earthquake and torrential rains, was once again experiencing water outages, with many locals having left since.

With the earthquake rendering the port unusable due to coastal uplift, he said, "I won't be able to earn a single yen as things stand now. I hope efforts will focus on restoring the fishing port."

After losing his home in Wajima to the earthquake and moving to an evacuation center when heavy rains flooded his temporary housing last month, Yoshiaki Sakakado, 61, said he felt "unmotivated to go vote" as his car had been submerged.

According to Wajima officials, polling station tickets are typically sent only to the address listed on a voter's residency certificate and are not sent to evacuation centers. It may not be widely known that voting is still possible without the ticket, as long as the voter's identity can be confirmed.

"I wasn't aware," said a 62-year-old man living at an evacuation center, adding with resignation, "It's not as if anything will change with the election, and I don't know what to hope for."

Mobile voting station tours quake-affected Noto region

A bus converted into a mobile voting station is making the rounds of temporary accommodations in a disaster-hit area in central Japan for residents who want to cast early ballots in the general election.

Early voting started on Wednesday for the Lower House election and on Monday for the mayoral election in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Ballot boxes were installed in the bus for the convenience of people living in temporary housing facilities far from polling stations.

The bus arrived on Tuesday in Kojima Town, where about 200 people live. Residents boarded the bus one after another to cast their votes.

The vehicle is expected to visit four temporary housing facilities on Tuesday and Wednesday.

One 76-year-old woman said she is glad to have been able to vote because the community center to be used as a voting station is far away and she did not think she would be able to go.

I wonder when spamdreath is going to start a Krakatoa thread.

Or perhaps Vesuvius.

don't you wish

Demolition of Earthquake-Struck Building in Wajima Begins; 2 Killed When Structure Collapsed Due to January Quake

Demolition work has begun on a seven-story building in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, that collapsed due to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January.

Located near the Wajima Morning Market, the structure served as the office building for a lacquerware company. It collapsed sideways, crushing an adjacent restaurant that also served as a house. Two female residents died.

The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry has been investigating the cause of the collapse. Possible factors include the base of the building and the condition of the ground.

Workers used heavy machinery Tuesday to break down the exterior wall around the third floor and cleared away the debris that fell to the ground.

“I understand that people in Wajima feel depressed seeing the collapsed building,” said Kenji Kusunoki, who lost his wife and oldest daughter.

“However, we still don’t know the results of the government’s investigation and the cause of their death must be determined. I hope the demolition will be conducted with great care,” said Kusunoki, 56.

Season's first snow crabs unloaded in quake-hit Wajima

Wajima Port in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, is once again fully operational more than 10 months after a devastating earthquake.

More than 30 ships were seen on Friday offloading the season's first catch of snow crabs, a winter delicacy.

Crab season began in Ishikawa on Wednesday, but fishing was delayed because of stormy weather.

Wajima Port hosts the largest number of trawlers in the prefecture.

The facility had been undergoing repairs following the Noto Peninsula earthquake on New Year's Day. The disaster damaged quay walls and caused the seabed to rise.

Ishikawa Prefecture's fisheries cooperative said the first catch would be auctioned later in the day and available in local stores on Saturday.

One official said he hopes Wajima's delicious seafood can help cheer up people across the Noto Peninsula.

Swans Return to Noto Region Lagoon in Ishikawa Pref. Despite January Earthquake

Many swans have flown from Siberia to the Ochigata lagoon in Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture, to spend winter there.

Hakui is one of the cities badly hit by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January.

According to local bird lover Masato Kawaguchi, 70, six swans flew to the lagoon on Oct. 10, and their number has increased to about 800.

About 1,200 swans gather at the lagoon in an average year. When the quake struck in January, the swans flew away all at once and many of them did not return. Therefore, there was concern whether they would come back this autumn.

“I was worried about whether or not they would come, but I’m relieved now,” Kawaguchi said.

After spending wintertime at the lagoon, the swans are expected to return to the north around mid-February next year.

All's well that ends well then eh. Shouldn't need to much more info

Much more. In fact just today the new government has announced more aid

New area to explore along Kurobe trolley route this fall

Visitors to Kurobe Gorge, a popular tourist destination renowned for its stunning autumn foliage, can access a previously inaccessible area this year—an unexpected result of earthquake damage.

The iconic tourist trolley trains through the gorge have reduced their operating route due to falling rocks caused by the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January. They are currently running between Unazuki Station and Nekomata Station.

However, railway operators are now offering passengers the opportunity to disembark at Nekomata Station, a privilege previously reserved for railway workers.

For this season only, passengers can explore the area around the station during a 20-minute stop, according to Kurobe Gorge Railway.

The train service will run until Nov. 30.

Demolition of Quake-Damaged Buildings with Public Fund to be Completed by the End of This Fiscal Year in Asaichi-Dori Dtreet in Japan’s Noto Peninsula

The publicly funded demolition of 249 buildings in and around the Wajima Morning Market in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, that were seriously damaged by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake and an ensuing large-scale fire is expected to be completed by the end of this fiscal year, according to the city government.

The government has confirmed that the owners of all the buildings have agreed to the plan.

Demolition operations in the Asaichi-dori area began in early June, and work had been completed for 241 of the buildings, accounting for about 96%, as of Friday. The foundations of 82 of these buildings were removed, and the plots of land they stood on became vacant lots.

The chief of the city government’s environmental policy section said: “I think it was painful for the owners of these buildings to apply to have them demolished. But [finishing it] is a step toward rebuilding, so the future is in sight now, which is good.”

One of the reasons why applications for the publicly funded demolition moved forward slowly is that, if a single building had multiple owners, the city government had to obtain consent from all of them.

Thus, the central government in May notified local governments of a decision that the demolition would be allowed if one owner applied for it and the structure had lost its function as a building for reasons such as fire damage.

Himi City, hit by Jan. 1 quake, declares start of winter fatty yellowtail season

A city in Toyama Prefecture that suffered damage from the January 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake has declared the start of the winter fatty yellowtail season.

The local fisheries industry hopes that the popular winter delicacy will help promote reconstruction of the Noto region.

Himi is a port city located at the base of the Noto Peninsula in central Japan. Wild yellowtail caught off Toyama Bay in the winter season is especially known for its fattiness. The fish is typically sold at high prices.

Members of the local fisheries cooperative and others confirmed the size and shape of the yellowtail caught early Wednesday and declared that the winter yellowtail season has begun.

The season reportedly began roughly a month earlier than last year.

Some of the yellowtail weighed significantly more than 10 kilograms. Buyers were seen bidding for the fish at an auction held at the fishing port. The yellowtail were promptly shipped or delivered to their destinations.

A fishmonger who successfully bid for roughly 40 head of yellowtail said he is happy that the season has been declared open, that the catch was abundant and that he was able to purchase them cheaper than usual.

Tokumae Yasuhiro said he had seen a decline in the number of customers after the quake, but he hopes the yellowtail season will prompt many people to savor the delicacy, and that it will lead to rebuilding the region.

Lacquer art museum reopens in quake-hit Wajima City

A lacquer art museum in quake-hit Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, has fully reopened for the first time since the powerful quake on New Year's Day.

The quake caused damage to the Wajima Museum of Urushi Art, destroying the entrance area and breaking the glass of showcases.

An exhibition began on Saturday to mark the reopening and pray for reconstruction from the disaster with 107 pieces of Wajima-nuri lacquerware on display.

Among them is a masterpiece made by Nishi Katsuhiro, who is designated as a holder of an important intangible cultural asset, or "living national treasure."

Nishi created the art work using a traditional technique called "chinkin," which involves carving the lacquered surface and inlaying metal powder to make the patterns stand out.

Delicate flowers of gold and platinum decorate the surface of a black box.

Another feature of the exhibition is a large globe with a diameter of about one meter.

The globe, which is one of the most famous Wajima-nuri art works, escaped damage from the earthquake. A local preservation group spent five years to create it.

A 34-year-old local resident said she was relieved to see the museum reopened as lacquerware culture is deeply ingrained in Wajima.

The exhibition runs through January 26 next year.

Citing Noto quake, experts urge Japan to bolster disaster shelters

Japan needs to strengthen support systems for disaster victims, a government task force studying disaster response said in a report released Tuesday.

The panel — led by Nobuo Fukuwa, professor emeritus at Nagoya University — studied the ideal disaster response based on data from the Jan. 1 Noto earthquake. The report highlighted measures to prevent disaster-related deaths, particularly in aging communities, by improving conditions in evacuation centers. Key recommendations included the provision of cardboard beds and adequate cooking and toilet facilities.

The report called for the availability of partitions and cardboard beds in evacuation shelters from the outset. It also proposed creating environments where large-scale cooking operations can be conducted, supported by gas facilities and fuel reserves.

Furthermore, it stressed the importance of stockpiling portable toilets and ensuring access to temporary restroom facilities. Additionally, the panel suggested setting up a registration system to expedite the deployment of mobile support vehicles — such as kitchen and laundry trucks — to disaster-hit areas.

During the Noto Peninsula earthquake, many evacuees were moved to hotels and inns as part of secondary evacuation efforts. However, challenges arose, such as prolonged displacement far from home resulting in social isolation.

The panel recommended establishing mechanisms for matching victims with preferred accommodations and maintaining ongoing support, urging the government to develop a detailed manual to address these issues.

Given the peninsula's geography, which restricted access routes for relief operations, the report underscored the need to secure alternative transport options such as air and sea routes. It also advocated for the proactive use of private drones.

To ensure a sufficient disaster-response workforce, the panel called for nationwide collaboration with nonprofits, private companies and volunteers.

The report further noted that large-scale disasters often overwhelm government-led relief efforts and urged citizens to prioritize being prepared at the personal level, including stockpiling essential supplies like food and drinking water.

Citing Noto quake, experts urge Japan to bolster disaster shelters - The Japan Times

Japan to offer interest-free loans to elderly to quake-proof homes

Japan is considering offering interest-free loans to people aged 70 and older to reinforce their homes against earthquakes in the wake of a devastating temblor on New Year's Day, a government source said Wednesday.

Under the new plan, borrowers will be able to use their homes and land as collateral to secure loans for retrofitting their residences, while the government will cover the monthly interest payments, the source added.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has pledged to take steps to make Japan more resilient to natural disasters. On Tuesday night, a powerful earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula again, a region still undergoing recovery efforts from the Jan. 1 temblor.

The loans will be repaid by the homeowner's heir after their death, such as through the sale of the property, eliminating the need for repayment during the borrower's lifetime in an aging society, according to the source.

Funding for the measure is likely to be incorporated in a supplementary budget for fiscal 2024 through March next year, as many elderly people in Japan have become more reluctant to quake-proof their homes due to the financial burden.

Japan to offer interest-free loans to elderly to quake-proof homes

Prize yellowtail fetches 2 million yen in Japan auction

A fishing port in central Japan was vibrant amid the haul of winter yellowtail. The delicacy brought new excitement to an area hit by a major earthquake and flooding this year.

One prize fish fetched 2 million yen, or over 13,200 dollars, in the season's first auction of a local premium brand on Monday in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Ports in the region were damaged in the New Year's Day quake, but fishers say the yellowtail catch was unaffected.

A seafood market in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa reported receiving about 570 winter yellowtail from waters around the Noto Peninsula.

In 2022, a fisheries cooperative in the prefecture started branding premium yellowtail weighing 14 kilograms or more as "Kirameki." These are fish that have been caught and kept in ways that ensure freshness and have no scratches or cuts.

A plump yellowtail unloaded in the peninsula's Nanao City, which weighed 16.2 kilograms and measured 93 centimeters long, was given the season's first Kirameki recognition on Monday. It sold for 2 million yen.

An official of the fishing firm that caught the Kirameki fish said he would report the good news to people in the Nanao fishing port.

The president of a local supermarket who purchased the yellowtail said he made his bid with a hope to encourage people in the Noto region who underwent the earthquake and then the rain disaster.

He said he would like many people to enjoy the taste of the premium yellowtail.

Prize yellowtail fetches 2 million yen in Japan auction | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

11th Meeting of the Headquarters for Supporting Recovery and Reconstruction from the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake

On December 3, 2024, Prime Minister Ishiba held the 11th meeting of the headquarters for supporting recovery and reconstruction from the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, the participants engaged in discussions on efforts toward recovery and reconstruction, as well as the outlook for the future.

11th Meeting of the Headquarters for Supporting Recovery and Reconstruction from the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake (The Prime Minister in Action) | Prime Minister's Office of Japan

Wajima Lacquerware Institute Holds Late Entrance Ceremony; Students Working through Adversity for Traditional Arts

The Ishikawa Prefectural Wajima Institute of Lacquer Arts in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, held its entrance ceremony on Tuesday. This is eight months later than usual and was delayed by the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula Earthquake and torrential rains in September.

Fifteen students at the ceremony renewed their determination to acquire the skills needed to become lacquerware artisans in Wajima, home to one of the nation’s major centers for traditional lacquerware craft.

The institute had been closed due to damage caused by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, but classes resumed in October. However, the school was unable to accept new students because the instructors and other staff were also affected by the record rainfall that hit the area in September.

Eleven of the 15 students will start a special training course for those with no previous experience with maki-e lacquer arts, while the other four will move on to the regular training course. The number of incoming students was decreased by five due to the earthquake, according to the school.

Kunihiro Komori, a 79-year-old living national treasure and director of the institute, said in his speech: “With the support of many people, we are finally able to welcome you. Congratulations on your long-awaited enrollment.”

“I hope that you will not give in to the disasters but will grow along with the recovery of Wajima and work hard to achieve your goals,” he said.

A representative for the new students said her house in the city had been destroyed in the earthquake, and the temporary housing unit she stayed was flooded after the torrential rain while she was attending the special training course.

“[Before moving on to the maki-e lacquerware department of the regular training course,] I sometimes wavered. But each time I thought about the instructors and staff who made the learning environment for us, I was able to face lacquerware work with a renewed determination,” she said.

Wajima Lacquerware Institute Holds Late Entrance Ceremony; Students Working through Adversity for Traditional Arts - The Japan News

Fireworks Launched to Life Spirits in Noto; Elementary Students Collaborate to Partially Fund, Plan Event

A fireworks display was held on Friday in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, to cheer up the victims of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake and to wish for the areasÂ’ recovery.

The event was organized in cooperation with the foundation that sponsors the Nagaoka Fireworks Festival, which is held in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, and known as one of the nationÂ’s top three fireworks festivals.

Money raised by students from Nagaoka Municipal Toyoda Elementary School in Niigata Prefecture and Nanao Municipal Komaruyama Elementary School in Ishikawa Prefecture was used to cover some of the costs. Students from the two schools had been communicating with each other online.

On the day of the event, about 140 sixth-grade students from both schools gathered at the Noto Shokusai Market at the Michi-no-Eki roadside rest area in Nanao. They cheered as they watched the “Phoenix” and other fireworks, which were also set off in Nagaoka after the 2004 Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquake to wish for the recovery of that area.

“We thought about the colors for the fireworks ourselves. I hope that seeing them will make everyone feel like putting up a fight,” said an 11-year-old student at Komaruyama Elementary School.

Fireworks Launched to Life Spirits in Noto; Elementary Students Collaborate to Partially Fund, Plan Event - The Japan News

Empress Masako Turns 61, Thinking of Disaster-Hit People in Noto

Japan’s Empress Masako turned 61 on Monday as she thinks of people affected by disasters including the Jan. 1 major earthquake in the Noto Peninsula in central Japan.

“The beginning of this year was deeply painful” with the Noto Peninsula earthquake, Empress Masako said in a written comment released by the Imperial Household Agency, expressing her condolences to disaster victims in Noto and other areas, as well as her concerns about afflicted people.

The Empress visited the Noto region with Emperor Naruhito in March and again in April. Noto is also a place of memories for the Empress where she visited with her friends when she was a student.

“It is heartbreaking to witness many people enduring significant hardships,” she wrote.

Noting that January next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in western Japan, Empress Masako wrote, “I believe it’s important to think about disaster prevention and mitigation and make related preparations.”

Empress Masako Turns 61, Thinking of Disaster-Hit People in Noto | Nippon.com