Overview
- Authorities report 679 deaths across Ishikawa, Niigata, and Toyama, with 451 classified as disaster-related as of October 31, including 438 in Ishikawa, 6 in Niigata, and 7 in Toyama.
- Seven Ishikawa municipalities have 266 applications awaiting review: Wajima 88, Nanao 54, Suzu 54, Noto Town 45, Shika Town 19, Anamizu Town 4, and Hakui City 2.
- Ishikawa and affected municipalities convene joint five-member panels—two physicians and three lawyers—to review applications, after which cities issue formal certifications.
- Officials say decisions commonly take nearly six months because meetings are brief and infrequent, prolonging uncertainty for bereaved families.
- Not all pending applications will be recognized, as municipalities apply their own criteria within the Cabinet Office’s indirect-death definition, and certified cases trigger condolence payments of ¥5,000,000 or ¥2,500,000 depending on the deceased’s role in the household.