A fearful New Year in temporary homes after Japan quake

by Hiroshi HIYAMA Before the earthquake changed everything, 83-year-old Sueko Naka from Japan's remote Noto Peninsula wished to live out her life at home, watched over by an altar to her ancestors. "When I imagine I might die here, I can't sleep well," Naka told AFP among her minimal belongings in the newly-built dwelling in the city of Wajima. AFP The earthquake on New Year's Day 2024 brought tsunami waves and sparked a huge fire in Wajima's city centre, burning down a historic market An army of demolition crews operate heavy trucks on pavements warped into wavy, uneven surfaces, but locals say much more is still needed to clear the destruction. After the earthquake "we received various forms of external support, and there was an emerging sense that everyone was going to start over", Wajima city official Yasuaki Ipponmatsu told AFP. AFP An emotional Kozo Naka and his wife Sueko at their temporary house in Ishikawa prefecture, nearly a year after a major earthquake struck on New Year's Day 2024 The community was exploring ways to encourage young people to stay and rebuild, but the challenges are daunting, with rice fields ruptured and filled with sediment, and ports and irrigation canals damaged.