Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his government will additionally allocate around 100 billion yen ($665 million) to the reconstruction of the Noto Peninsula following the earthquake that rocked central Japan on New Year's Day.
Arrangements are being made for Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to visit the Noto Peninsula, possibly in late March, to meet with people affected by the powerful earthquake that struck the central Japan region on New Year's Day, according to an Imperial Household Agency source.
Nearly 70 percent of 108 Japanese coastal municipalities at risk of damage from tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake have never conducted drills for operating evacuation centers in the winter, a Kyodo News survey shows.
A major fire that engulfed a historical marketplace in central Japan following the powerful earthquake on New Year's Day may have been caused by damage to electrical wiring, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Volunteer work in central Japan has been stalling over a month since the Noto Peninsula was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake, with few people permitted to assist each day amid insufficient accommodation facilities and poor road conditions.