Two years after the January 1, 2024, Noto Peninsula Earthquake, which caused 698 deaths across three prefectures, about 18,000 people remain in temporary housing in Ishikawa Prefecture. While infrastructure restoration progresses, challenges like population outflow and aging hinder full recovery. In Wajima, production of traditional lacquerware continues in trailer houses.
January 1, 2026, marked the second anniversary of the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, which resulted in 698 deaths across Ishikawa, Toyama, and Niigata prefectures, including indirect causes. In Ishikawa, around 18,000 people continue to live in temporary housing, though demolition of damaged buildings has been largely completed with public funding. Construction of approximately 3,000 public housing units has only recently begun.
In Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, where fires devastated areas like the Asaichi-dori shopping street, traditional Wajima lacquerware production persists in trailer houses. Takahiro Taya, representative of Taya Shikkiten Co., set up 10 trailers on his company's parking lot and a damaged site, opening 'Wajimanuri Village' last summer as a base for sales, production, and future tourism including overnight stays.
Craftsman Mitsuo Uwamaki, 61, applies black lacquer inside one trailer, noting, 'It's easier to work here without dust or dirt interrupting, unlike at home.' The number of Wajima lacquerware artisans has dropped from a peak of 2,928 in fiscal 1991 to about 700 in fiscal 2024, with production value falling from ¥2.4 billion in fiscal 2022 to ¥1.4 billion in 2024. Kensei Sumi, secretary general of the Wajima Lacquerware Industry and Commerce Cooperative Association, said, 'We're getting orders from across the country in support of Wajima, but we can't meet the demand.'
A 68-year-old man whose home near Wajima Morning Market burned down now lives in temporary housing. He expressed, 'I hope reconstruction in the quake-hit areas makes visible progress in 2026 so we can have hope for the future.' Taya aims to rebuild his store and workshop in central Wajima eventually, though timelines remain uncertain amid ongoing city reconstruction discussions. He added, 'I don't know if Wajimanuri Village is the right answer, but right now, I'll do what I can to pass on Wajima lacquerware to the next generation.'
Infrastructure recovery advances, but population outflow and aging populations complicate the path forward. Direct deaths stand at 228, with two missing, unchanged from the previous year. (248 words)