Three Months After Kumamoto Earthquake “major challenge remains” for Visually Impaired

By Barrier Free Japan

November 3 2026

TOKYO – Over three months after the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake, which struck on 28 July 2026 at approximately 16:27 registered a maximum seismic intensity of 7 on Japan’s seven-point scale and 7.1M, people with visual impairments in the hardest-hit areas of the prefecture continue to face challenges in evacuation and recovery. NHK reported on October 17 on the difficulties they face and the support needed to help them return to their normal lives.

Three months have passed since the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake. How have people with visual impairments been affected by the disaster, evacuated and faced the challenges of recovery? And what support will they need in the future? We hear from those directly affected and the people supporting them, focusing on southern Kumamoto Prefecture, which suffered extensive damage.

Hideyuki Morioka runs a treatment clinic in Mashiki, where the earthquake registered a maximum seismic intensity of 6 upper on Japan’s seismic intensity scale. Drawing on his experience of the previous earthquake 10 years ago, when his home suffered major structural damage and he was forced to live in an evacuation shelter, he had carried out seismic retrofitting work on his house. This time, the damage was limited to cracks in the parking lot and a displaced block wall. “I’m glad I was prepared,” he says.

Nobuko Nakamura, who lives in Uto, where the earthquake also registered a maximum seismic intensity of 6 upper, is currently living apart from her family in a hotel in Kumamoto City, where she continues to take refuge. As the assessment of damage to her home proceeds slowly, she hopes to return to her normal life as soon as possible.

Kazutaka Azuma, a mobility training instructor with the Kumamoto Prefecture Association for the Welfare of the Visually Impaired, has been involved in local support activities since immediately after the earthquake. He notes that, compared with the previous earthquake, nationwide cooperation has improved and support was mobilised more quickly. However, he points out that a major challenge remains: how to reach people with visual impairments who are unaware of services such as braille libraries.