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Two Years After Noto Quake, Memorials Spotlight Slow Rebuilding and Youth Flight

Limited housing progress is slowing the return of working-age families.

Overview

  • A prefectural service in Wajima marks the anniversary at 4:10 p.m., honoring 228 direct victims and 470 quake-linked deaths recorded across three prefectures.
  • About 18,300 people in roughly 9,000 households are still living in temporary housing more than a year after the disaster.
  • The four hardest-hit Oku-Noto municipalities have lost over 10% of their residents, including a 19.2% decline among those aged 40 and younger in communities where about half the population is 65 or older.
  • Of 2,986 planned public housing units for survivors, construction had begun on only about 5% as of November, with some projects lacking start dates.
  • Economic and social strain is mounting, with 314 businesses closed since the quake and school consolidations reducing campuses from 35 to 26 in April.