Category: 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 3, 2025 Number of comments0
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Disability Earthquake Employment Japan Welfare

Hardship Continues for Ishikawa’s Workers with Disabilities as Earthquake Damage to Companies Hits Facilities

Since the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, work opportunities for people with disabilities in Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto region have sharply declined as local companies that once purchased goods or outsourced simple tasks to employment support facilities were damaged by the disaster. Facilities such as Minorien in Nanao, known for its handmade additive-free natto, have been struggling to sustain operations but are now seeking new forms of work, including grass-cutting and leaflet delivery, to help disabled workers stay engaged, regain income, and maintain their connection to the community.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt January 8, 2025 Number of comments0
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Care Disability Earthquake Elderly Japan

Ishikawa Prefecture Investigates Deaths of Elderly from “indirect causes” One Year After Noto Earthquake [Podcast Episode]

Concerns have been raised about the deaths of elderly people who died of “indirect causes” after they were evacuated, dying at care facilities. Jiji Press reported that as of Wednesday 25th December 2024 that “22 of 176 elderly evacuees from Ishikawa had died at elderly care facilities or elsewhere in Toyama, according to the Toyama Prefectural Government. In Aichi, 16 of 68 such evacuees died at care facilities or hospitals.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt January 5, 2025 1
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Disability Disasters Earthquake Elderly Japan

Ishikawa Prefecture Investigates Deaths of Elderly from “indirect causes” One Year After Noto Earthquake

Concerns have been raised about the deaths of elderly people who died of “indirect causes” after they were evacuated, dying at care facilities. Jiji Press reported that as of Wednesday 25th December 2024 that “22 of 176 elderly evacuees from Ishikawa had died at elderly care facilities or elsewhere in Toyama, according to the Toyama Prefectural Government. In Aichi, 16 of 68 such evacuees died at care facilities or hospitals.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 23, 2024 Number of comments0
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Disability Education Intellectual disabilities Japan Welfare

200,000 Children with Disabilities in “Special Needs Classes” Reports Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in FY2022 Survey

A survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on the 6th revealed that the number of children with disabilities who used “part-time class instruction” at public and private elementary, junior high and high schools, where they are enrolled in regular classes but receive lessons in separate rooms as needed, reached 198,343 in 2022, a new record high. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities advocates “inclusive education,” in which children with disabilities are not separated from other children and students, but Japan’s current situation has been criticized as going against this.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 17, 2024 Number of comments0
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Disability Disasters Discrimination Japan

Annual ‘Miyagi Appeal Action’ Held in Sendai to Raise Awareness About Issues Facing People with Disabilities 

he “Miyagi Appeal Action” rally was held in Sendai City on the 16th to raise awareness of the discrimination and difficulties facing people with disabilities. This is held annually by an executive committee made up of over 40 disability groups in Miyagi Prefecture. This year, in response to the Noto Peninsula earthquake, the theme was “Disability and Disaster Prevention,” and an appeal was adopted calling on the government to develop disaster prevention and evacuation plans that reflect the perspectives of people with disabilities.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 10, 2024 Number of comments0
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Disability Hospitals Japan

Public Hospitals in Quake-Hit Okunoto Area Bleed Red Ink

Four public hospitals in the earthquake-hit Okunoto area in central Japan ran a combined loss of over 1.2 billion yen in fiscal 2023, it was learned Tuesday. 
   The Okunoto area, which is the northern point of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, was hit especially hard by the 7.6-magnitude quake that shook the peninsula Jan. 1.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 1, 2024 Number of comments0
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake COVID-19 Disability Elderly Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #38: Noto Quake Death Toll to Reach 300, COVID Patient and Elderly Person Among 18 ‘Indirect Deaths’

The death toll from the January 1st Noto Peninsula earthquake in central Japan is projected to reach 300 as 18 more indirect deaths are expected to be recognized. On Tuesday, the Ishikawa prefectural government and affected municipalities held a joint meeting and were advised to recognize 18 deaths as related to the disaster.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 13, 2024 Number of comments0
2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Disability Disasters Earthquake Elderly Japan

As society ages, Japan faces challenge in helping vulnerable people in disasters [Mainichi Shimbun Editorial]

How can we support the lives of elderly evacuees in disaster-affected areas? This is a challenge that Japan faces as a whole as its population ages.

Four months have passed since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in central Japan. In the Okunoto region that was hit directly by the quake, close to half of the residents are seniors. Elderly care facilities that have supported the welfare of local residents also sustained major damage.