A Fearful New Year in Temporary Homes After Japan Quake

One year after Ishikawa's deadly quake, rebuilding is slow and families still scattered

- AFP

WAJIMA, Japan - Before the earthquake changed everything, 83-year-old Sueko Naka from Japan's remote Noto Peninsula wished to live out her life at home, watched over by an altar to her ancestors.

But a year after a 7.5-magnitude quake and its aftershocks devastated the region, she lives in a small temporary unit with her husband and daughter, facing an uncertain future.

"When I imagine I might die here, I can't sleep well," Madam Naka told AFP among her minimal belongings in the newly built dwelling in the city of Wajima.

"I guess I have to accept reality. We have a place to stay," she said.

The earthquake on New Year's Day 2024 was Japan's deadliest in over a decade, claiming nearly 470 lives.

Around half the victims were killed in the disaster itself, which brought tsunami waves and sparked a huge fire in Wajima's city centre, burning down a historic market.

The rest perished later, as hundreds of aftershocks and cold weather compounded stress for survivors, including 40,000 people - many elderly - evacuated to shelters in school gyms and community centres.

A year later, the Ishikawa region still quivers with aftershocks, stoking fears of another huge jolt.

Unprecedented rainfall in September also unleashed severe flooding in Noto, resulting in another 16 deaths.