1/21: Residents Discuss the Future of Mountainous Areas in Wajima City

January 21, 2024, NHK News
Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/kanazawa/20240121/3020018373.html
輪島市の山あいの地区で集落を今後どうするか住民が話し合い
English Translation by Walter Tsushima

Residents Discuss the Future of Mountainous Areas in Wajima City

In the mountainous areas of Wajima City, which were temporarily isolated due to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, residents gathered to discuss their future. While some expressed their intention to stay in the area and continue supporting each other, others acknowledged significant damages and voiced the necessity of relocating to a different place.

Machino district in Wajima City faced temporary isolation due to massive landslides triggered by the earthquake. On the 21st, residents from the mountainous Wakakuwa district, home to approximately 50 people, gathered for discussions about their future.

About 15 people participated in the meeting, with many expressing their desire to remain in the area and continue their lives while supporting each other. However, concerns were raised about significant damage to houses and uncertainties in daily life, leading some to consider relocating to another area. Given the advancing aging population, challenges regarding how to sustain the community in the future became apparent.

A man in his 50s, an automotive mechanic contemplating a move, shared, “About half of the warehouse collapsed. The factory shutter won’t open, and there is no electricity. It’s putting a significant burden on my family. I think I have no choice but to leave the area.”

Similarly, 77-year-old Okada Koki, who served as the district leader and desires secondary evacuation to a safer location, said, “There is a risk of my house collapsing, and I’ve been enduring sleeping in his car, but it’s tough with a sensation of frostbite. I have a strong attachment to the district, but secondary evacuation seems unavoidable.”