Noto Peninsula Earthquake

Hundreds of Businesses Abandoned, Closed in Northern Noto Municipalities Since Quake; Status of Many More Unconfirmed

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The demolition of houses and other buildings continues around the Wajima Morning Market in Wajiama, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Dec. 1.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:17 JST, January 1, 2025

In four municipalities located in the northernmost part of the Noto Peninsula that were hit especially hard by the Jan. 1, 2024, earthquake, hundreds of businesses have either been abandoned or closed down.

Wednesday marked one year since the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that killed 504 people, including in so-called disaster-related deaths, in Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata prefectures.

Delays in rebuilding livelihoods could further spur the population outflow from disaster-stricken areas.

The Yomiuri Shimbun asked the chambers of commerce and industry in Wajima, Suzu, Anamizu and Noto about the status of 2,481 businesses. It was told that 230 businesses had been or were scheduled to be abandoned and 349 businesses had been closed down as of Dec. 25. Combined, these figures account for almost one-quarter of the total.

However, according to the Suzu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the status of approximately 350 businesses, accounting for 70% of its members, remained unconfirmed, implying the number of abandoned or closed businesses would increase significantly.

According to the Kanazawa branch of Teikoku Databank, Ltd., many businesses were somehow managing to operate using special loans and extension measures for loan repayments. “Without speeding up infrastructure development, commercial distribution will not recover, and people will be unable to reestablish the foundation of their livelihoods,” a branch representative said.