PM Kishida pledges travel aid program six months after central Japan quake

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday pledged to launch a specialised tourism support programme to support the Noto Peninsula on the Sea of ​​Japan coast, which was badly damaged by a powerful earthquake just six months after the disaster on Jan. 1.

In Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, Kishida told reporters the central government is preparing to introduce a plan that includes a 70 percent discount for visitors to the Noto area, the epicenter of the New Year's Day disaster.

Since March, the Kishida administration has implemented a tourism support program for quake-hit prefectures, offering discounts of up to half hotel rates to boost the travel industry in the Hokuriku region of central Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (3rd from left) visits the Wakura hot spring resort area in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, on July 1, 2024, six months after a powerful earthquake devastated the area on Jan. 1. (Group photo) (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Many of the hotels eligible for the program are located in central and southern Ishikawa, and are aimed at guests visiting Kanazawa, the prefectural capital. Often referred to as “Little Kyoto,” Kanazawa is known for its many cultural attractions and is a major tourist destination.

However, most accommodation facilities on the Noto Peninsula were unable to benefit from the programme. These facilities had difficulty accepting tourists as they were hosting displaced people after the earthquake destroyed them.

Earlier Monday, Kishida attended the opening ceremony of a task force to boost reconstruction efforts set up by his government in Wajima, a city on the peninsula. It was his third visit to the disaster-hit area since February.

The task force, which has about 150 full-time staff, aims to speed up the recovery process by sharing information among ministries and agencies on issues facing the disaster-affected area, such as demolition of collapsed buildings and labor shortages.

The death toll from a 7.6-magnitude earthquake has risen to nearly 300, including those killed by disasters after being evacuated from their homes, official data showed, as major roads, infrastructure and farmland in the province remained disrupted.

Construction of about 5,000 temporary homes has been completed, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference on Monday, adding that the government hopes victims “who lost their homes will be able to move in as soon as possible.”

Last week, the Kishida administration decided to spend 139.6 billion yen ($867 million) of reserve funds for fiscal 2024 to rebuild infrastructure, support local farmers, foresters and fishermen, and implement measures to intensify reconstruction.

In the disaster area of ​​Ishikawa Prefecture, the rubble is still intact, but people are trying to get back to their daily lives while volunteers continue to work hard.

“The damage is so bad that my heart aches every time I come here,” said Shinichi Nakayama, a 57-year-old government worker from Higashimurayama in Tokyo who has been visiting Suzu, also hit hard by the quake, almost every week since May.

“If there's anything I can do, I want to come back as many times as possible,” Nakayama said.

Related Coverage:

6.0-magnitude earthquake hits Noto Peninsula in central Japan, no tsunami threat

Focus: Noto earthquake-hit companies at risk of losing many foreign trainees

'Dark tourism' controversy looms over Japan's quake-hit Noto Peninsula

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