About a week after a devastating earthquake struck central Japan, the toll continued to grow. Reports indicate at least 168 lives lost, with officials warning the final death count could rise further. Rescue teams are racing against time to locate survivors as heavy snow and damaged roads impede recovery efforts.
On Monday, local authorities released the latest confirmed figures: the earthquake registered a magnitude 7.6 and struck Ishikawa Prefecture. Officials announced that 323 more people were reported missing in the disaster zone.
Most of the fatalities occurred in the towns of Wajima and Suzu, where search and rescue operations have been concentrated. More than 500 individuals sustained injuries of varying severity. This event stands as the most catastrophic earthquake in Japan in the past decade.
Snow and closed roads
Access to the northern part of the Noto peninsula, the area hardest hit by the earthquake, was severely restricted. A large number of roads were closed or blocked by landslides, rockfalls, collapsed poles, or damaged buildings and infrastructure. A cold front has driven temperatures below freezing, and up to 13 centimeters of snow has fallen in the region. This snowfall complicates vehicle movement, heightens the risk of new structural collapses or landslides in damaged areas, and increases the danger of hypothermia for people in shelters or homes without power or water.
In the days that followed, aftershocks measuring above magnitude 5, with epicenters in the Noto region, continued to shake the area. These tremors caused additional ground displacement and further damaged roads and buildings, exacerbating the disruption to transportation and relief efforts.
The Ministry of Transport indicated that it remains unclear when traffic will resume normally. The situation on the main access routes to Noto has drawn criticism from experts who argue that basic infrastructure repairs should proceed more quickly to deliver essential supplies and improve rescue operations.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated that every possible measure would be taken to assist people in large, isolated areas. The Japan Self-Defense Forces have indicated that access on foot or by helicopter is under consideration. Kishida also announced that the central government will designate the earthquake as an extraordinary disaster, allowing special administrative measures to expedite assistance and procedures for those affected.
Reception of evacuees
As of the latest updates, roughly 28,000 people were sheltered in temporary evacuation facilities, while about 15,000 homes remained without power and more than 14,000 without electricity. An estimated 2,000 residents in Ishikawa remained isolated across 24 locations due to damage to roads and paths.
Regional authorities have opened a new evacuation center in a public gymnasium in Kanazawa. About 200 tents were set up, and starting this week, seniors, pregnant women, and other vulnerable groups will begin to be accommodated. The central government has urged hotels and inns in the region to offer temporary lodging to refugees, and at-risk individuals are expected to be moved to more suitable accommodations in the coming days.
The quake occurred last week and marks the deadliest disaster in Japan since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused the Fukushima nuclear crisis. That event remains the most damaging natural disaster in Japan’s modern history, surpassing other major incidents in later decades and leaving a lasting impact on national safety policies and disaster response planning. (Source: local authorities and national disaster management agencies.)