Japan has recently been hit with a series of earthquakes, with magnitudes reaching 7.6 on the Richter scale. The Noto peninsula has been most affected by the tremors, with over 100 pronounced dead, the majority due to the sudden collapse of buildings.
Tragically, this earthquake struck during an especially significant time in Japanese culture, called Shogatsu. Shogatsu is the Japanese new year, which is traditionally a time for relaxation as well as family gatherings. The unprecedented earthquake was large enough that many of these gatherings and events had to be canceled or postponed, such as the Emperor of Japan’s New Year greeting event, which is traditionally on January 2.
“I pray that the coming year will be a bright and hopeful one for people in our country and worldwide,” Japanese Emperor Naruhito stated, in light of the recent earthquakes and natural disasters as well as recent warfare and turmoil around the world.
The United States military has deployed two army helicopters to aid the Noto area in its goals of relief and recovery. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara stated that Tokyo had previously requested aid, and America deployed soldiers to join the ranks of around 7,000 Self-Defense Force troops helping Japan and specifically the Noto area in relief operations. Rahm Emanuel, Washington's top diplomat, asserted that, “When Japan is in a time of need, we're here to support them, both civilian with resources, military with logistics.”
Fortunately, some search and rescue operations have proved to be successful. An elderly woman who is in her 90s has been found and rescued, 5 days after the first and largest earthquake. Rescuers said that it took hours to free the woman, who was trapped in a fallen two story building. The woman has sustained injuries to her legs, but is in stable condition.
“It’s amazing that that woman was able to be saved after being pinned under the building, and I’m very happy that she was able to be rescued,” NHS sophomore Olivia Bossio-Dotolo said. “I think it’s crazy that there have been all these earthquakes in Japan and I think that people should definitely look more into the cause of them, especially since they are so close to each other and are affecting so many people,” Bossio-Dotolo continued.
Luckily, Japan is doing just that- the country has dedicated a significant portion of its research solely towards the understanding and prevention of earthquakes and similar natural disasters. Japan dedicates around 278 million dollars annually to this research and development of new safety measures. Some features of Japan’s recent earthquake preventative measures include stronger building construction, an early earthquake warning system, and the Japan Meteorological Agency, which tracks and records earthquakes for future research.
With improved research and scientific developments, it is likely that Japan will make progress in its goal of civilian protection. Recently, Japan has been promoting that its citizens keep an earthquake survival kit at home, in case another disaster occurs. The new year of 2024 brings hope to both the people of Japan and people worldwide, providing a light of hope in a dark time of grieving and loss.
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