The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year’s Day has risen to 232, with an additional 22 people still missing.
The Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) reported on Thursday that search operations for the missing continue, but rainfall in the affected areas is hindering these efforts. The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that the rain is expected to continue until late this evening.
NHK also reported that water supply has been restored to about 20 families in some mountainous areas of Suzu city in Ishikawa Prefecture, about three weeks after the earthquake. However, more than 50,000 families in eight cities and towns in the prefecture are still suffering from water outages.
Japan is located on the ‘Ring of Fire’ in the Pacific Ocean, making it one of the countries frequently hit by earthquakes.
In related news, Ishiro Takahashi, the commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency, stated that the strong earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year’s Day has caused significant damage to the local travel industry.
Takahashi told reporters (reported by NHK) that many hotels and tourist attractions have been unable to operate since the disaster, with even those that have reopened experiencing booking cancellations.
He emphasized that lessons learned from previous natural disasters show that the path to industry recovery will involve restoring facilities and preserving employment. He also mentioned the importance of providing accurate information about the recovery process to combat rumors and misinformation.
Takahashi noted that the total number of foreign tourists visiting Japan has not been significantly affected by the disaster, but there have been some cancellations from visitors in parts of Asia. He confirmed that the agency will continue to assist Ishikawa Prefecture authorities with evacuation efforts, helping to relocate those evacuated to hotels outside the earthquake-affected areas, offering better living conditions.
