Japan Press Weekly

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2013 January 16 - 22 [WELFARE]

More than 1,000 Hanshin-quake victims died in solitude

In the 18 years since the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, 1,011 quake survivors have died in solitude at public temporary and permanent housing units built for quake victims.

Most of the solitary deaths are said to have been caused in part by the victims’ loss of ties with others and the dwindling of hopes for the restoration of their former livelihoods.

Local communities were destroyed by the massive quake, which makes it difficult to realize victims’ wishes to return to live in the environment they were most familiar with.

Temporary and permanent housing complexes for quake survivors have been not only in shortage but also built in inconvenient areas, such as in distant suburbs and in landfills. Since local governments selected who would move into which housing complexes in drawings, quake victims could not continue to live close to their neighbors and have lost any sense of community.

An increasing number of the elderly are living all alone in Japan, and issues arising from this have come to the surface since the 1995 earthquake, said Kanaji Nobuko, professor emeritus of Nihon Fukushi University. She also commented as follows:

“Most of the staff sent by local governments to check on quake victims living in public housing projects are non-regular workers. They might be able to knock on the doors and have short conversations with residents, but it is difficult for them to figure out what the residents really need, and most need assistance to apply for livelihood protection benefits. It is also hard for aging residents to support each other on a daily basis.

“Local administrations need to assign permanent staff to public housing projects to give counsel to residents and enable them to have close ties with staff at other local facilities and medical institutions.”