Japan Press Weekly

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2013 March 6 - 12 [GREAT EAST JAPAN DISASTER]

Reconstruction in 3.11 disaster-hit area progressing at snail’s pace

In the two years since the 3.11 massive earthquake and tsunami, reconstruction of the disaster-hit area has made little progress and more people have been claiming negative health effects, Akahata reported on March 11.

Akahata interviewed 300 disaster victims at temporary housing sites and makeshift shopping centers in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures. This is the fifth survey that Akahata conducted after the disaster.

Regarding the rebuilding of their homes, 41% of the respondents said they have no prospects and 41% said few prospects, amounting to more than 80% of those surveyed. Main reasons for the difficulty are “insufficient funds” (35%), “delay in recovery or group relocation plans” (35%), and “delay in construction of public housing” (21%). Over 80% of respondents called for more subsidies to be allocated for reconstruction of individual houses.

Of those who worked as salaried employees before the disaster, 31% said they are still seeking jobs. In Fukushima alone, 40% are unemployed. As for self-employed workers, nearly 80% said they are experiencing difficulty in rebuilding their businesses. Many of them stated that a state subsidy for small businesses is needed.

Prolonged life in temporary housing has caused damage to residents physically and mentally. Asked about health condition, 24% of the respondents replied “bad” and 29% “somewhat bad”. The sum of both negative categories is 53%, significantly up from the 38% in the previous survey six months ago. More than 90% of the respondents wanted continuation of medical fee exemption for disaster victims.

Concerning the impact of planned consumption tax hike, 93% of the respondents answered that it will be a cruel blow on them. A fisherman in Miyagi’s Minamisanriku Town said, “The tax hike is too harsh for the disaster victims who need to rebuild their houses and purchase business inventory.”

Related past article
> Delay in post-quake recovery affects victims’ health [September 12, 2012]