(Update) Victims Mourned 1 Year after Noto Peninsula Earthquake

   Wajima, Ishikawa Pref., Jan. 1 (Jiji Press)--People on Wednesday renewed their commitment to revive the Noto Peninsula as they offered prayers for the victims of a massive earthquake that rocked the central Japan region exactly a year ago.
   In Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, one of the areas on the peninsula severely damaged by the 7.6-magnitude quake, a memorial ceremony was held to mark the first anniversary of the disaster, with 445 participants observing a minute of silence at 4:10 p.m., the time the temblor occurred on Jan. 1, 2024.
   The death toll from the New Year's Day quake came to 504, including those who died during evacuation or from other indirect causes.
   In the memorial ceremony, held by the Ishikawa prefectural government at a gymnasium in Wajima, 16 victims of the heavy rain disaster that hit the Noto Peninsula in September last year were also remembered. Some earthquake-affected areas still bear strong scars also from the torrential rains.
   "We will stay close to those affected by the disasters, listen to their voices and continue to provide attentive support," Ishikawa Governor Hiroshi Hase said in an address at the ceremony. "I pledge to do my best to pave the way for reconstruction."

(2025/01/01-20:19)

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