Japan adds budget for reconstruction of earthquake-hit areas in Noto Peninsula

Speaking to reporters after his second visit to Ishikawa Prefecture since the quake, Prime Minister Kishida said the emergency budget would come from the reserve fund for fiscal 2023 (ending March 31, 2024). The money will be used to finance reconstruction measures, including expanding the scope of support packages to up to 6 million yen (nearly $40,000) per household with children. In addition, part of the money will be used to build temporary factories next April to support local traditional industries.

It is expected that in the coming days, the Japanese Cabinet will approve this additional budget allocation plan.

This is the third time the Japanese government has drawn from its reserves to fund reconstruction work on the Noto Peninsula following the earthquake earlier this year. If the new budget is approved, the total spending on post-earthquake reconstruction efforts in Japan will reach more than 260 billion yen.

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture on January 1, along with hundreds of aftershocks, has affected the Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas. As of February 10, the Ishikawa Prefecture government confirmed that the earthquake had killed 241 people, left 11 missing, damaged about 60,000 houses, forced more than 13,000 people to temporarily evacuate, left more than 34,000 households without water, and left about 1,500 households without electricity. The Japanese government and local authorities are still urgently carrying out earthquake recovery work.