Overview
- An MLIT expert panel concluded that a seven‑story building in Wajima overturned due to damaged foundation piles, the first confirmed case in Japan, killing a parent and child and prompting wider seismic‑risk warnings.
- Ishikawa Prefecture’s first health survey found 11.2% of respondents required follow‑up, mostly for deteriorating mental health, with a second survey completed and detailed analysis planned to guide support.
- Wajima’s demographic strain is intensifying as the population falls and aging accelerates; at a coming‑of‑age gathering, officials noted 118 of 253 would‑be 20‑year‑olds moved away after the quake.
- Small, hard‑hit hamlets are moving toward group relocations to more central areas under the national disaster relocation program, with residents prioritizing proximity to hospitals and shops.
- University volunteers led by Professor Junichi Tanaka continue on‑the‑ground support—from mud removal to community events—with new foot‑bath outreach planned, as scholars call for dignity‑centered, community‑led recovery.