Japan Press Weekly

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2015 March 4 - 10 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Construction of public housing for disaster victims delayed

More than 80,000 people in three prefectures hit hardest by the 2011 major disaster still remain stuck in temporary housing, and the construction of public housing for such disaster victims has been significantly delayed. The percentage of completed construction is only 17.7% in Iwate, 17.4% in Miyagi, and 19.1% in Fukushima.

“I can’t wait to move into public housing but there has been a long delay in the construction,” Tamura Kumiko, 65, said with a resigned sign. She still lives in emergency housing in Kesennuma City in Miyagi.

Common reasons for construction delays include: difficulty in site acquisition; time-consuming land preparation; labor shortages, inflation in material prices; and inaccurate cost estimates.

The local governments alone cannot solve all these problems. Despite holding the ultimate responsibility, the central government is contributing to labor shortages and increases in material prices by promoting non-urgent large public works projects across the country.

Japanese Communist Party member of the Kesennuma City Assembly Akiyama Zenjiro said, “The victims have to continue to live in temporary homes. Many of them are very disappointed in the delay in providing them with a permanent residence. They are also worried about being alone and being able to pay the rent after moving into public housing.”

Akiyama added, “Having a place to call home is a key to restoring survivors’ lives. The central government should address the issue more seriously.”

Past related articles:
> Abe takes ‘No’ stance to no-nuke Japan [February 19, 2015]
> 570K signatures requesting more housing aid for 3/11 victims submitted [February 13, 2015]