Thread: Strong quake prompts tsunami warning Japan

Do you examine your own faeces after every dump?

Not every

________


from yesterday

• Only 20％ of Quake-Hit Evacuees Willing to Move to Secondary Shelter Sites Such as Hotels, Inns

More than 10,000 people are still living in evacuation centers three weeks after the massive Noto Peninsula Earthquake that hit Ishikawa Prefecture on the New Year’s Day, where water and power has not been restored in many places. Few evacuees have left their hometowns for secondary evacuation sites such as hotels and inns, instead many have returned home where they are experiencing difficulty obtaining adequate relief information from their municipalities.

In Wajima, nearly 140 people are still sheltering in the municipal health and medical center.

A 47-year-old welfare facility employee at the center turned down the city’s offer to evacuate him to a second location because he has a bedridden mother in her 70s. The man was told that they would be transported by bus to the evacuation site, however he thought it would be difficult for his mother to make a five- to six-hour bus trip. Even so, they can’t return home as it has no running water.

“We’d love to move to a place with better sanitation as infectious diseases are spreading here, but …” the man said.

As of Jan. 2, the day after the quake, 662 people had evacuated to the center. About three-fifths of those people have returned home or voluntarily moved out of the city. About one-fifth, or 127 people, went on to secondary evacuation sites. The remaining roughly one-fifth are thought to be staying in the center due to family or work-related issues.

Tada Elementary School, one of the evacuation centers in Suzu, is in a similar situation. There were 250 evacuees at its peak, and only about 20% of them chose to evacuate to secondary shelters. About half have moved back to their homes or relatives’ houses, and about 30% remain at the school.

• Japan to Battle False Information as Part of Disaster Measures; Government Eyes Use of Originator Profile Technology

False and misleading information about the Noto Peninsula Earthquake spread widely on social media earlier this month, prompting a government decision to support the development of technology that ensures information is reliable.

The government is apparently eyeing the use of new technologies such as Originator Profile, digital technology that specifies the sender of information.

A package of measures to support earthquake victims will be decided as early as Thursday. As a program related to that package, the government envisages conducting experiments using OP technology in cooperation with municipalities affected by the disaster.

OP can electronically attach third-party-authenticated information about senders to articles and other material on the internet. The Originator Profile Collaborative Innovation Partnership, which comprises 37 companies including domestic and foreign media, aims to put this technology into practical use in 2025.

The government intends to support the development of “technology to ensure the existence and reliability of senders,” so that the operators of social media platforms can identify misinformation.

The draft includes support for the development of technology to identify “deepfakes,” fake videos created with artificial intelligence.

False information was disseminated immediately after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, including posts on social media that called for rescue in fictitious places, and images of tsunami that appeared to have been created from video from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Erroneous claims were also circulated, for example the assertion that “disaster-affected people will have to pay their own expenses” if they leave affected areas and use secondary evacuation centers such as hotels and inns. The central government and the Ishikawa prefectural government were urged to counteract such information by explaining that survivors would not have to pay accommodation fees.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Do you examine your own faeces after every dump?

There is probably a forum somewhere where he posts about every single one of them.

• Volunteers keen to help Japan quake victims, but badly hit areas just can't accept them

There is no shortage of people wishing to volunteer in areas hit by the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake, but in the severely impacted Okunoto region, logistical and other challenges make hosting any but the most self-reliant volunteers extremely difficult.

On Jan. 24, the Ishikawa Prefectural Government opened volunteer recruitment in the municipalities of Nanao, Anamizu and Shika, but limited intake to a few dozen per day. Meanwhile, more than 13,000 people have registered to volunteer to help clear collapsed houses and other tasks.

"I want to help people living in the harsh conditions at evacuation shelters," said Takeshi Nakajima, 46, the director of a Nara Prefecture-based disaster relief nonprofit organization. Loading his vehicle with relief supplies, he entered Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the Okunoto area on Jan. 3, delivering water and food to isolated residents in the city's Hiki district. Currently, he visits evacuation centers and care facilities, inquiring about necessary supplies and delivering them through collaborating organizations.

Staying in a vacant room on the second floor of an evacuation center not in use by residents, Nakajima gets his meals from his supplies. He has a history of providing support in the Hiki district, dating back to a May 2023 earthquake that hit an upper 6 on Japan's 7-point seismic intensity scale.

In the disaster-stricken areas of the Noto region, nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations with a track record of disaster support like Nakajima's are currently operating independently.

Nakajima notes, "While there is a need for volunteers with specialized skills in areas like caregiving and heavy machinery operation, the scope for general volunteers is still limited. With the ongoing logistical challenges, buying scarce food from local stores might actually cause trouble for residents."

Suzu's social welfare council posted a notice on its website on Jan. 12 warning that, due to road conditions and problems with toilet facilities caused by water cuts, they were unable to accept regular volunteers.

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• Schools, Post Offices in Quake-hit Wajima Resume in Ishikawa Pref.

Some elementary and junior high schools resumed lessons in a shared building on Wednesday in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was heavily affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1. Wednesday marked the first day lessons resumed in Wajima for students who remained in the city. Most elementary and junior high schools in the prefecture as well as junior high school students who evacuated Wajima had already resumed lessons earlier this month.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, several post offices in the city and other affected areas in the prefecture resumed counter services to distribute undelivered letters and packages. Residents queued at counters to receive their mail.

Of the 12 municipal elementary and junior high schools in Wajima, two elementary schools and one junior high school resumed lessons Wednesday. Among the 80 students of these three schools, 20 had evacuated or were unable to attend due to snow. The remaining 60 students convened at Monzen Higashi Elementary School, which had vacant classrooms. The students were seen smiling joyfully as they reunited with their classmates for the first time in about a month.

“I’m really happy. There’re kids from other schools, which makes me nervous, but I want to talk to them and become friends,” a fourth-grade boy, aged 9, said.

At Monzen Higashi Elementary School, each school held assemblies where teachers explained the precautions to be taken in the school which also serves as an evacuation center. Afterwards, students learned how to relieve stress and interacted through recreational activities.

Handing out undelivered mail began at post offices in Suzu, Wajima, Anamizu and some post offices in Noto.

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• Power Outages in Ishikawa Pref. Expected to Be Resolved by End of This Month

The power supply in earthquake-affected areas of Ishikawa Prefecture is expected to “generally be restored by the end of January, except in some areas [with accessibility or other issues],” Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ken Saito said Tuesday at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.

About 5,000 households in the Prefecture are still without power three weeks after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on Jan.1. According to Saito, power is expected to be restored by the end of the month to all areas except where landslides and other factors have impeded accessibility and in areas where residences are severely damaged. There is also a concern that power outages may continue in the coastal areas of Wajima and Suzu due to extensive damage to roads.

“We’ll restore the power supply by conducting sequential work in areas that are difficult to access. Additionally, we’ll ensure power is supplied by deploying power supply vehicles and using other means to address the needs of the affected area,” the minister said.

Hokuriku Electric Power Co. with support from other major power companies has mobilized about 1,000 personnel for restoration efforts and reduced the number of households without power to roughly one-eighth of the peak level.

The poor fucker has caught Nippomania, an obsession with Jap twat.

Nope. That's not it

• Kishida's policy speech to focus on quake recovery, restoring trust in politics

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio intends to express his resolve to spearhead recovery efforts in areas hit by the massive earthquake on central Japan's Noto Peninsula in an upcoming policy speech.

He will also pledge to restore public trust in politics, following the political funds scandal involving factions of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The draft of Kishida's speech to the Diet ordinary session that convenes on Friday says his government will not hesitate to execute policies to facilitate reconstruction from the New Year's Day quake, including fiscal measures.

The prime minister plans to announce the launch of a new headquarters for quake recovery, which he will lead.

He will vow to take responsibility for restoring the quake-hit region.

Kishida will also apologize for causing public distrust in politics. People related to the LDP's major factions have been charged with violating the political funds control law over the handling of revenue from fundraising events.

Kishida will promise to contribute to discussions by the LDP and other parties on revising the law.

He will promise to seek to restore trust in politics through measures such as completely cutting off factions from involvement in monetary matters and the filling of Cabinet and other posts.

Kishida will say his administration will continue to place top priority on the economy. He will vow to realize wage hikes exceeding inflation by the end of this year, and to achieve a complete exit from deflation.

On foreign policy and security issues, Kishida is expected to speak of his intention to boost the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-US alliance.

He will promise to do so by making use of opportunities such as his planned visit to the United States as a state guest later this year.

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• Kishida's new aid package aims to help recovery of quake-hit areas

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet compiled a financial aid package Thursday for the quake-stricken Noto Peninsula region in Ishikawa Prefecture.

The package is intended to support recovery efforts and aid the local economies of Ishikawa and the surrounding prefectures that were devastated after a 7.6 magnitude quake hit the region on New Year’s Day.

More than three weeks have passed since the quake first struck. And yet, more than 46,000 households in the affected areas still face a water outage while 15,000 people still remain in evacuation centers.

The support package will offer subsidies to small and medium-sized firms, including agricultural, fisheries, and small manufacturing firms, in Ishikawa Prefecture, as well as those in neighboring Niigata, Toyama, and Fukui prefectures. Ishikawa Prefecture was hit hardest by the quake.

The aid package includes a total of ¥1.5 billion ($10.2 million) for Ishikawa businesses to rebuild their facilities, and another ¥300 million for those in Niigata, Toyama, and Fukui prefectures. On Friday, the Cabinet is expected to approve the use of ¥155.3 billion from the reserve fund of the current fiscal year's budget to pay for the whole plan.

In addition, the financial package will also beef up subsidies for leave allowance to help companies keep employees who are unable to work due the impact of the quake. The rate that the government covers will be increased to four-fifths of the total for small and medium-sized firms, and two-thirds for larger companies.

Japan’s labor laws obligate an employer to pay an employee leave compensation equivalent to at least 60% of the average daily wage over the previous three months during times when a business is forced to reduce its activities, as long as the employer agrees to retain the employee after the business returns to normal operation.

The Kishida government’s package comes as calls grow to provide increased funding for individuals to rebuild their lives. The government is under pressure from the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan to double the current maximum of ¥3 million in subsidies for quake-recovery efforts.

There is also money for a new discount travel plan to lure tourists back to Ishikawa, Fukui, Toyama, and Niigata prefectures, known collectively as the Hokuriku region. The program, which begins in March, will subsidize half of the lodging costs, or up to ¥20,000 per person per night at facilities in any of the four prefectures.

Depending on how reconstruction progresses, the program could be expanded.

The plan goes into effect the same month that the operation of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line is extended to Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture. The shinkansen line is currently connected to the city of Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture but will be extended on March 16.

Meanwhile, the All Nippon Airways' flight between Tokyo and the Noto Peninsula airport is expected to resume Saturday.

Ishikawa Prefecture’s tourism industry appeared to be experiencing a post-pandemic rebound just before the quake struck. In 2022, over 18.3 million people visited the prefecture, a 73.3% increase from 2019. Seven major hot springs resort areas in Ishikawa drew over 1.76 million visitors in 2022, a 150% increase over the previous year.

The 18.3 million total included 75,000 foreign visitors, an increase of 67,000 over those in 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions greatly reduced the number of overseas tourists.
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• 5.0-magnitude quake hits Hokkaido, Japan Region

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 jolted Hokkaido, Japan Region at 0429 GMT on Thursday, the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 83.1 km, was initially determined to be at 43.31 degrees north latitude and 145.68 degrees east longitude.

It rained in Clacton Essex yesterday.

Thank goodness it was rain.

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Video in the link

• Cameraman buried in rubble by central Japan quake took video while dazed

"What the hell is going on?" A smartphone video unconsciously taken by a cameraman buried in debris by the Noto Peninsula earthquake captured his own voice along with the broken pillars, walls and exposed nails of his collapsed home in this central Japan city up close.

Michitoshi Tatsumi, a Suzu Municipal Government employee involved in the production of public relations videos, took the 38-second footage while trapped in a small space. He was rescued 15 hours later, thanks to a faint cellphone signal.

On the evening of Jan. 1, 52-year-old Tatsumi was home alone as his brother Yoshihiro, 59, who lives with him, was out jogging. As soon as the first strong quake hit the region, he went down to the first floor of his two-story house to go to the city hall when another violent tremor occurred. When he came to, his surroundings were pitch black. His chest and left hand were caught in something and he could hardly move. He could not even tell up from down. There was only about 20 centimeters of space above his head.

Tatsumi heard a wireless disaster system's tsunami warning. He thought, "I may drown." It was hard to breathe because his chest was squeezed. He was wearing heavy clothing, but the cold made him shiver. He looked at the smartphone that was in his pocket, but there was no signal. He apparently activated the smartphone camera while groggy. He later recalled, "I don't remember, but I guess it was because my job requires me to take videos of anything that happens."

At around 1 a.m., he saw the antenna symbol on his smartphone. He immediately called his brother Yoshihiro and managed to tell him, "Help me. I'm at home, I'm at home."

Yoshihiro explained that when he rushed to the scene, he heard Tatsumi's voice from within the debris of the crushed first floor. But it was dark, he had no tools and there was nothing he could do. He called emergency services, but they told him they did not know when Tatsumi could be rescued. Yoshihiro desperately encouraged his brother, saying, "We'll do something."

When dawn broke, Yoshihiro asked his neighbors to join him, and about 10 people began rescue work. As strong tremors continued, they used crowbars, saws and jacks to remove the debris little by little. At around 7 a.m., they finally saved Tatsumi, telling him, "You did great!"

Tatsumi, who suffered serious injuries including a broken rib, is now recuperating in Toyama Prefecture. He thanked his neighbors, saying, "They saved me even though they themselves were in danger."

Over the years, Tatsumi has covered locals and festivals through his camera lens. While minding that it will not be an easy task to revive his hometown severely damaged by the earthquake, he vowed, "I'd like to record the kind people and beautiful scenery of Suzu on video again."

Death Toll in Central Japan Earthquake Rises to 236 on Thursday

• Cabinet Approves Y=150 Billion from Reserve Fund to Support Victims of Noto Peninsula Earthquake; Includes Funds to Rebuild Roads and Other Facilities

The government decided on Friday it will appropriate ¥155.3 billion from the fiscal 2023 budget reserve fund to support victims of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake at a Cabinet meeting. This fund will be used in part to carry out a support package for rebuilding people’s livelihoods in the quake-hit areas.

This is the second Cabinet approval after the first approval on Jan. 9 for a plan to spend ¥4.74 billion from the fiscal 2023 budget’s reserve fund.

Expected major spending will be on relief measures in affected areas at ¥38 billion, reconstruction works for roads or other facilities at ¥33.7 billion and support for tourism industries, including the so-called Hokuriku support discount program, at ¥10.4 billion.

Of the fiscal 2023 reserve fund, there is a ¥308.4 billion balance in the general account.

The government will flexibly use the ¥155.3 billion with ¥1 trillion from the fiscal 2024 draft budget’s reserve fund.

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• Japanese police to set up more security cameras in quake-hit areas

Japan's National Police Agency says it will increase the number of security cameras in the quake-hit areas in central Japan to prevent burglaries and other crimes.

The agency said it had received 32 reports of crimes, such as break-ins at damaged houses and thefts at evacuation shelters, as of Wednesday. Criminals appear to be taking advantage of the disaster.

The agency has mainly been setting up security cameras in quake-hit urban areas. It says that it will increase the number of cameras to about 1,000. The measure is expected to ease the concerns of people who must evacuate their homes and take shelter in facilities located outside the affected regions.

About 60 security cameras had been installed in the affected areas by Thursday.

National Public Security Commission Chairperson Matsumura Yoshifumi said security cameras will be set up wherever they are needed. He added that police officers will make sure that the people in the quake-hit areas are safe.

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• Quake-Hit Railway in Ishikawa Pref. Resolved to Resume Services

Noto Tetsudo, a local railway operator in Ishikawa Prefecture, is determined to resume its services, which have been fully suspended due to severe damage from a powerful earthquake that struck central Japan on Jan. 1.

With many residents calling for the restoration of the key local mode of transport, Tetsuya Nakata, the 61-year-old president of Noto Tetsudo, said: "We aim to reopen all sections. That's a social mission we are tasked to carry out."

Noto Tetsudo is hoping to bring part of its 33.1-kilometer railway back online in February, according to Nakata.

About 70 pct of the passengers of the railway that links Nanao Station in the city of Nanao and Anamizu Station in the neighboring town of Anamizu are local students and businesspeople using commuter passes.

In recent years, the line has attracted more and more tourists on the back of the company operating the "Noto Satoyama Satoumi Go" sightseeing train, which briefly stops at a point where passengers can see a magnificent view of Nanao Bay, and offering char-grilled oysters at the "Atsuatsu Tei" restaurant at a station platform. Oysters are one of the region's specialties.

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• Thai Embassy sends relief supplies to quake-hit central Japan

The population of the Noto Peninsula in central Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, includes over 1,000 citizens of Thailand. Their embassy in Tokyo is now sending food supplies to the area to help them out, along with anyone else in need.

Tons of coconut water, jasmine rice and noodles have been stockpiled in Tokyo for those suffering in the hardest-hit areas. Some of it was donated by Thai food companies in Japan.

Pimjai Matsumoto, the president of one of the companies, explains why she wants to help. "We have retort packs of jasmine rice that can be eaten without cooking," she says. "I feel distressed, thinking of those who suffered there. The only thing we can do is just send these supplies and pray for them. We want to warm their hearts with these."

About 300 cardboard boxes were filled with 2,500 kilograms of supplies. Along with food, there is also medicine and essentials like toilet paper.

The Royal Thai Embassy Consul, Achara Chaiyasan, said her embassy has heard that COVID is spreading and has sent Thai herbal cough remedies as well.

After the quake, some Thai residents of Ishikawa Prefecture contacted their embassy trying to find water. The embassy says most of the information about water supply points is in Japanese only, making it difficult for foreigners with limited language ability to access.

Embassy staff also thought Thai residents struggling in the wake of the disaster would be comforted by food from home. So, they decided to deliver supplies.

It’s over 75 years ago that Hideki Tojo was hanged for war crimes in Sugamo prison.

Banzai!

• Airline resumes flights to quake-hit airport in central Japan

All Nippon Airways resumed its flights to and from an airport in central Japan on Saturday, almost a month after a magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit the region on New Year's Day and left its runway damaged.

While regular flights connecting Noto airport in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, and Tokyo's Haneda airport are limited to one round-trip per day on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through February, it is hoped they will help bring volunteer workers to quake-hit areas to assist their recovery from the disaster, which left more than 230 dead.

Before the quake struck the Noto Peninsula on the Sea of Japan coast, there were two round-trip flights between the two airports each day. But the airport was forced to suspend services after it found a gap measuring 10 centimeters in depth and 10 meters in length on a runway following the quake.

After temporary repairs were made, the airport started accepting Self-Defense Forces aircraft on Jan. 11 and decided to widen the service to commercial flights as it completed full restoration work.

Also on Saturday, some 80 registered volunteer workers entered Nanao, Shika and Anamizu in the prefecture to join cleanup efforts.

Landslides and cracks had severed roads leading to the quake-hit area, and local governments were not ready to accept them until now.

As the Ishikawa prefectural government had been asking individuals to refrain from coming to the quake-hit area, those eligible for volunteer work had been limited to people who belonged to organizations with disaster relief knowledge and experience.

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• Suica Cards Clarify Situation at Japan Earthquake Evacuation Centers; Help Understand Location Use

Transportation IC cards will be distributed to evacuees to help collect data on evacuation centers in the area affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, according to the Digital Agency and East Japan Railway Co.

The agency and JR East announced Friday that Suica cards will be provided free of charge to evacuees in order to accurately understand the use of evacuation centers and efficiently deliver relief supplies.

The evacuees will register their name, address, and other information on the cards and use it when entering evacuation centers. The data will then be sent to the Ishikawa prefectural office.

JR East will provide about 18,000 cards and 350 reading machines. The distribution of Suica cards is expected to begin within a week, and card reading machines will be installed at all primary evacuation centers in Ishikawa Prefecture.

According to the Digital Agency, evacuation centers are being used in a variety of ways, with some people staying in their cars at night or at the homes of relatives, making it difficult to understand how much locations are being used. By gathering data at the prefectural office, it will be easier to grasp the number of people who need support, an agency official said.

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• Volunteers Get to Work in Areas Hit Hard by Jan. 1 Quake

Three municipalities in the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa hit hard by the 7.6-magnitude earthquake on Jan. 1 started accepting disaster volunteers recruited from the general public on Saturday.

Around 80 volunteers got to work in the city of Nanao and the towns of Anamizu and Shika, with some moving damaged furniture out of houses and others scraping out mud.

While volunteer activities for supporting the operations of evacuation centers had already started in the Ishikawa capital of Kanazawa, it was the first time for volunteers to engage in assistance activities in areas seriously damaged by the temblor.

On Saturday in Nanao, where seismic activity of upper 6, second highest on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, was felt on New Year's Day, 17 volunteers worked in cold weather to carry muddy furniture and tatami mats out of houses and offered other forms of support.

"I felt anew (the seriousness of) the damage caused by the earthquake," said Yuki Kato, a 29-year-old corporate worker who joined the volunteering efforts from Tokyo. "I'll do what I can to the best of my ability."

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• Despite disruption, turkey farmer in quake-hit central Japan 'won't quit'

While many in the quake-hit Noto Peninsula can't foresee how they will rebuild their lives, a 72-year-old turkey farmer in this central Japan city aims to make a fresh start.

"I won't be defeated by an earthquake. I'll deliver meat to my customers," said Masahiro Omura, who keeps about 200 turkeys. None of the animals were apparently injured in the temblor, but disruption in logistics have made it impossible to ship his livestock.

Turkey production began in the city in 1989. While gathered around a "sukiyaki" pot discussing ways to revitalize the community, one local exclaimed, "This meat is delicious." It was from a turkey that a resident had personally raised. Fifteen locals contributed 150,000 yen (some $1,000) each to establish a production association. They started raising turkeys by purchasing chicks from Japan's northeastern Tohoku region. Sales were especially good during the lead-up to Christmas, and production grew to approximately 1,200 turkeys shipped annually.

The association dissolved in 2004 after fulfilling its role revitalizing the area. Omura, seeing business potential, took it over by himself. Although shipping volume halved, he made efforts to improve the meat quality by mixing locally produced "koshihikari" rice in the turkey feed. Sales expanded outside the prefecture, including to hotels and restaurants in Tokyo and Osaka.

At the time of the Jan. 1 earthquake, 10 people, including the families of Omura's eldest and second sons on a visit to their hometown, were at his house. No one was injured, but cupboards and other furniture fell over, and they evacuated to a local meeting hall. Omura treated his neighbors to frozen turkey burgers cooked on a portable gas stove.

After an evacuation center was set up the following day, Omura became worried and headed to his coop by car. He could hear the loud cries of the animals, but it seemed that no turkeys had escaped or were injured. The coop had only suffered minor damage, such as a disconnected water pipe.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

It’s over 75 years ago that Hideki Tojo was hanged for war crimes in Sugamo prison.

Banzai!

Did you know they sell more adult diapers in Japan than children's ones?

How zany is that?!

• Support helps lift spirits of foreigners in quake-hit central Japan

In the aftermath of a magnitude-7.6 earthquake that rocked central Japan on New Year's Day, uncertainty prevails among foreigners in the region who have had homes damaged or jobs paused, but widespread support is helping to ease anxiety.

Ian Lawrence, an American in his fifth year of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program and a prefectural advisor for Ishikawa, has credited the "phenomenal job" done by emergency services on the peninsula for alleviating most of the immediate safety concerns people have had.

"The community is really banding together and just reaching out to people and taking care of people. I've been really encouraged to hear their stories of community members who did their best to communicate with (JETs), even with their limited English or the (JETs') limited Japanese," the 29-year-old said.

Acting as a liaison between the 129 JETs in Ishikawa and the prefectural government, Lawrence said the biggest concerns now among those in disaster-hit areas are losing their salaries and housing. Currently, around a third of the 29 JETs based in the Noto Peninsula have yet to return home.

"Some JETs' homes have been declared unlivable, and they, along with many other JETs simply not ready to return to the region, are staying with friends or family or in hotels that are offering free housing to victims of the disaster," he said.

Travis Tyson, a 33-year-old English teacher based in Wajima, said he has not yet heard when classes will resume as many of his students have been evacuated elsewhere.

Around 250 of the roughly 400 students from all three Wajima city-run junior high schools have opted to temporarily relocate together to the city of Hakusan in Ishikawa Prefecture's south.

"Right now I'm helping one of my schools with its day-to-day recovery and tasks. It's mostly making origami for the students or playing with the kids that are staying in the shelter," he said.

While Tyson was fortunate enough to have been traveling in Hiroshima when the quake hit and his apartment was not damaged, water has yet to be restored and roads in the area are still in bad condition.

He recounts it was a feat to make it back home around a week after the quake as trains into the Noto Peninsula had stopped, saying, "The drive from Kanazawa, which is usually about 1 hour, 45 minutes, took around 7 hours."

With Ishikawa Prefecture home to around 16,500 foreigners, the Ishikawa Foundation for International Exchange and other organizations set up multilingual hotlines shortly after the quake to provide vital information.

But Kenshi Takahashi, managing director of the foundation, says just as many people have called asking how they can help as those seeking advice on where to evacuate and get supplies.

Lawrence said that many JETs in other regions have expressed eagerness to help as well, disseminating as much information as they can as "that's all we can really do at the moment, besides giving financial aid."

Meanwhile, some foreign groups and individuals outside Ishikawa Prefecture are utilizing their own resources to provide support not only to their fellow countrymen but also to Japanese locals in gratitude for their hospitality and past generosity.

Earlier this month, the Non-Resident Nepali Association in Japan provided freshly cooked curry and installed portable toilets for evacuees in Wajima and Suzu, two of the hardest-hit cities.

The team once again served curry to evacuees this week, distributing around 700 meals to people in Nanao over two days, with Nepalese living in the area also volunteering their time.

"We have a sense of volunteerism in Nepal, especially since many people come forward to help Nepal whenever there is an earthquake in our country," said Jigyan Kumar Thapa, an advisor to the association who has lived in Japan for more than 20 years.

Thich Tam Tri, a Vietnamese Buddhist nun based in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, also visited evacuation centers in Wajima and Nanao earlier this month to deliver relief supplies and cash donations totaling over 3 million yen ($20,000) to both Vietnamese technical interns and local governments.

"It is just a small token, but I really wanted to contribute something useful as soon as possible," said Tam Tri, who has been actively assisting Vietnamese people living in Japan since the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

According to government data, as of the end of 2022, approximately 4,500 Vietnamese lived in Ishikawa Prefecture, the largest foreign nationality. Many are technical interns located in the Noto Peninsula.

"(Technical interns) have no experience of earthquakes in safe Vietnam, so they may feel anxious and fearful. To alleviate their concerns, I went to offer comfort," said Tam Tri, adding that she also wanted to show her gratitude to Japanese locals for their support.

Thi Thuy Nguyen, a 23-year-old Vietnamese technical intern who came to Nanao last October, said she was heartened to receive encouraging words from Tam Tri and that "everyone became motivated to do their best."

Nguyen, who spent a week in an evacuation center with a few of her workmates following the quake, said they quickly returned to their dorms as they felt more relaxed there.

"Everyone else at the center was Japanese, and we were not used to the sleeping rules and taste of the food. Plus, there was no internet," said Nguyen, adding that they still went to the center to sleep at night for fear of aftershocks.

Amid the uncertainty of when work will resume on the peninsula, many Vietnamese interns have temporarily returned home or gone to work at factories in other parts of Japan. But Nguyen and a number of her fellow interns have decided to stay.

"We have enough to live for now. We are better off than other people deeper in the Noto Peninsula. Supermarkets are still open and water is running," she said.

Seeing the extent of the damage, Tam Tri said she plans to visit again in early March to bring pho noodles and fried spring rolls for evacuees in the region, to add variety to a monotonous diet of rice balls and ramen in the evacuation centers.

"For us foreigners living in Japan, when we see this (situation) we share the same feelings even if we're not completely in the same boat," said Tam Tri.

Between 1936 and 1945 the Japanese killed over 12 million civilians and captives through indiscriminate slaughter, torture, forced labour where they were worked to death, deprivation leading to starvation and disease, and sport. I say sport because the Nipponese savages called it a game. During the rape of Nanking they would toss infants in the air and spear them with their bayonets as they fell - those who killed the most in a day won a prize. Rape was currency to these animals, they spent their seed and in return were paid in despair and trauma.
To this day descendants of these monstrous savages still honour their memory in graveyard visits and the full extent of the horrors inflicted on their victims is still withheld from Jap children in their education.
For some reason the A bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are seen as a failure of humanity and commemorated with regret and profound sadness. Idiotic really, it was a cause of much celebration and ended the reign of a barbarous tyranny not seen since Cenghiz Khan.

Your in pattaya. Go out and have a beer or 3 maybe get your cock sucked and stop bleating about the past

Over on my bali thread you said. The past is a foreign country , they do things differently, and no one can get a visa to go there. Are you having a bit of a senior moment gent?

Ronald McDonald is called Donald McDonald in Japan due to a lack of a clear ‘R’ sound in Japanese.

How zany is that?!

• Quake-Hit Noto Region Train Services Replaced by Buses

Bus services began Monday as a substitute means of transportation due to the continued operation suspension of a local railway in the quake-hit Noto region in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Seven roundtrip buses are replacing Noto Tetsudo train services between Nanao and Anamizu stations in the region. The 33.1-kilometer stretch has been left without service since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on New Year’s Day.

Shortly after 6 a.m. on Monday — still before sunrise — 13 passengers, including high school students, hurriedly got aboard the first bus of the day from Anamizu train station to Nanao.

“I’m looking forward to seeing my classmates for the first time in a long while,” said an excited 17-year-old who is a second-year student at Nanao High School.

There is still no prospect of Noto Tetsudo fully resuming operation as rails have been deformed by ground upheaval.

The service operator, third-sector railway company Noto Tetsudo Corp., has said it will try to resume services along part of the route from Nanao Station by mid-February in a joint effort with West Japan Railway Co.

The substitute bus service became possible as a result of the reconstruction of National Highway Route 249 and some prefectural roads.

• Taiwan private sector sends US$17.25 million in earthquake relief to Japan

Donations from the people of Taiwan and private sector entities have amounted to more than NT$540 million (US$17.25 million) for earthquake relief and reconstruction in Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Jan. 26.

The donations were handed over by Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu to Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Kazuyuki Katayama during a press event in Taipei City. Those in attendance included Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lee Li-feng, as well as representatives from major private sector donors and the Japanese community in Taiwan.

According to the MOFA, the funds follow the 60 million Japanese yen (US$414,412) in earthquake aid delivered Jan. 11 to the JTEA by the MOFA’s Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, in response to the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck the Noto region on New Year’s Day.

Wu again expressed sincere condolences on behalf of the government and people to those affected by the earthquake, adding that Taiwan and Japan have been each other’s strong source of support in times of need. The donations underscore the warmth with which people in Taiwan regard their Japanese neighbors, as well as their hope that those in the disaster-stricken areas can return to normal lives as soon as possible, the minister added.

In response, Katayama thanked President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te for their warm messages sent immediately after the disaster. The donations underscore the special bond between the two sides, he said. (SFC-E)

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• Volunteers Gather in Nanao, Anamizu and Shika; Cleaning up After Japan Quake

Seventy-nine volunteers from across the country arrived on Sunday in Nanao, Anamizu and Shika in Ishikawa Prefecture, which are areas severely damaged by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. They are engaged in restoration work, such as clearing away waste from houses damaged in the disaster.

As of Saturday, 15,300 people had registered as volunteers with Ishikawa Prefecture. When the prefectural government asked for registered volunteers to work in Nanao, Anamizu and Shika for a week starting Saturday, the number of applicants reached its limit of 560 people in three minutes. The prefectural government will accept new applications for volunteers who can participate the activities which will start from February 3.

Because of the limited accommodation facilities available in the affected areas due to the water outage, volunteers are transported by buses provided by the prefectural government from Kanazawa for day trips to the affected areas.

The cities of Suzu and Wajima in the Okunoto area, where the damage is especially severe, have not yet been able to accept volunteers due to the lack of progress in surveying the needs of disaster victims.

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• Blackouts to end in most quake-hit areas by Wednesday, Ishikawa governor says

The governor of Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture says power supplies are expected to be resumed as early as Wednesday in most of the areas that have been without electricity since the powerful earthquake four weeks ago.

The New Year's Day quake cut power to 39,900 households in Ishikawa. But as of Sunday noon, the figure stood at about 3,710 -- one-tenth of the peak level.

Governor Hase Hiroshi told reporters on Monday that blackouts are expected to end by Wednesday, apart from some areas.

He said some places have been cut off by landslides, while buildings and equipment for distributing electricity in other areas sustained severe damage because of the quake, tsunami and fires.

Power transmission rates have recovered to at least 80 percent in the cities of Wajima and Suzu, and 99 percent in Nanao City and the towns of Noto, Anamizu and Shika.

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• Support for female evacuees

Following the Noto earthquake, women who are seeking ongoing shelter at evacuation centers — or even sticking it out in homes without running water — have a special place to visit to share their health concerns.

Women's clinic opens its doors

The Negami Mirai Clinic in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, specializes in outpatient care for women. It has opened its doors to women and children affected by the disaster and allocated a space for them to socialize.

The service is available on the first and fourth Thursdays of the month and every Sunday.

Free sanitary products, diapers

The clinic distributes free sanitary products, diapers, supplements, and other items. Visitors take what they need. They can also seek advice from clinic director Dr. Negami Masako.

A woman in her 60s who has decided to stay put at home despite having no water supply says: "Just talking to the doctor makes me feel relieved. I have to travel a long distance to do laundry and take baths, and my living expenses are getting tight, so this kind of support is a great help."

"I think it is good that we can ask them how they are doing not only regarding illnesses, but also enjoy casual conversation," says Dr. Negami. "If you are stressed and tired, please come and see us."

Visiting evacuation centers

Dr. Negami has also been visiting evacuation centers in Nanao City to check living conditions. She speaks to women and children about their health and living concerns, encouraging them to share even the slightest problems.

She says many evacuees have told her that they cannot sleep well and are struggling with poor sanitary conditions.

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• Restart of Shika Nuclear Power Plant ‘Likely to Take Years’; Seismic Activity During Noto Quake Possibly Greater Than Expected

The screening process to restart a reactor at Hokuriku Electric Power Co.’s Shika nuclear power plant will likely be prolonged, as a belt of active faults may have seen seismic activity over a larger area than expected during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said it would take several years to determine the impact of the faults belt on the nuclear plant.

The Shika Nuclear Power Station has two reactors, which were shut down in 2011 after the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. In 2014, Hokuriku Electric applied for a safety screening with the aim of restarting its No. 2 reactor.

An NRA screening establishes a “basic earthquake ground motion” — the maximum level of shaking that could be caused by active faults around a plant — and this is factored into the design of a nuclear power plant’s quake resistance.

Much time has been spent checking whether faults under the station’s premises were active. The Jan. 1 earthquake occurred just when the screening process was about to move on to check faults located in the surrounding area.

Screening materials prepared by Hokuriku Electric presented the possibility that a 96-kilometer-long belt of active undersea faults off the northern Noto Peninsula would move at a time of an earthquake.

However, the government’s Earthquake Research Committee said that in the Jan. 1 earthquake, the range of seismic activity may have extended to about 150 kilometers due to the interlocking of other active undersea faults. The longer an active fault is, the larger the magnitude of an earthquake can be. The committee’s findings could shake the basis of Hokuriku Electric’s data.

There are many other active faults around the nuclear station, both on land and under the sea. Some experts even say the New Year’s quake has made active faults off the town of Shika’s coast — which are located near the power plant — more susceptible. If the effect of the active faults remain unknown, the Shika plant’s seismic design will not be finalized and its operations will remain suspended.

• Japan finance chief calls for early budget passage in quake aftermath

Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki on Tuesday called for swift passage of a fiscal 2024 budget to help Japan overcome recent inflation through more robust pay hikes and extend "full" support to areas hit by a deadly earthquake on New Year's Day.

The 112.57 trillion yen ($763 billion) budget, revised after the magnitude-7.6 quake devastated the Noto Peninsula in central Japan, is necessary to tackle a spate of issues that should not be postponed any longer as Japan is "at a historic turning point" in achieving sustainable growth, Suzuki told parliament.

The government has doubled the amount of emergency funds in the budget to 1 trillion yen to spend on relief and reconstruction work in a "seamless and flexible manner," he said.

The overall budget shrank from the previous year's record 114.38 trillion yen but is still the second-largest, posing a challenge for heavily indebted Japan to restore its fiscal health, the worst among advanced economies.

Gent. Your attempt at starting a shitfight is in bad taste
The poor japs can't seem to catch a break