One Week Later: Struggles In Japan After January 1st Earthquake

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is E2xjgoZIvFVow58CR9RHa3LUV9gvJU6HRS21SWrU1Q0bT8TjkadhVC37c5WHZOOs4pvHlomxuV_2x6-M_iWP1b5RjpymTDsYWEvp6MJarjK4ARfkcN86TmKYmCOdXsmb5T9zipMBKaftZ-gVGViJask — A building in Anamizu lies in ruins after being damaged by earthquakes.
The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images

On January 1st, 2024, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck central Japan, 42 kilometers northeast of Anamizu, Ishikawa. Houses were reduced to rubble and as of January 7th, over 120 people have been killed and over 200 are still missing.

Although the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a major tsunami warning at first – the last one having been issued in 2011, when a 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami ravaged northeastern Japan and killed around 20,000 people – it was later reduced to an advisory as no tsunami has yet hit the region.

The quake also ignited fires and caused concerns about nuclear plants experiencing meltdowns, which occurred during the 2011 disaster. As of the time of this writing, no issues have been observed at any plants along the Sea of Japan.

Although it has been a week since the earthquake, the threat of aftershocks remains, according to US Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough. “An earthquake this big is going to continue to have aftershocks,” said Hough. “It could easily have aftershocks bigger than magnitude 6, so that is going to be a hazard in its own right.”

Relief Coordination

Road damage after the earthquake and several aftershocks.
The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images

Although the government of Japan is attempting to coordinate search and rescue efforts, progress is being hindered by destroyed roads, forcing officials to rely on other means of transport.

“To secure the route there, we are to mobilize all the means of transport, not only on the ground but also by aerial and marine transport. We have been making an effort to transfer goods, supplies and personnel there since the last night,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday.

But alternate means of transport are not necessarily safe. On Tuesday, a Japan Airlines jet crashed into a coast guard plane at Tokyo Haneda airport that was en route to provide relief, killing five people.

Meanwhile, the damaged roads have also hampered health officials attempting to provide aid to victims of the quake, which compounded with the lack of power across the region makes for significant difficulty in receiving medical assistance.

What’s Being Done To Help?

As of January 6th, Japan is only accepting foreign relief from the United States, given the expanded effort it would take to accept any more aid, according to Japanese spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi. US aid seems to involve troop dispatchment to the Noto peninsula.

Other countries such as China and Taiwan offered aid, but Japan has rejected them.

That being said, there are still ways people can support recovery and relief efforts. The Center For Disaster Philantrophy (CDP), for example, has a Global Recovery Fund that is currently accepting donations. And the Japanese Red Cross Society is conducting disaster recovery efforts that those living in Japan can contribute to (for those living outside of Japan, JRCS recommends reaching out to local Red Cross organizations).