What Is Lost in a Month

One month has passed from the first major earthquake in Kumamoto. According to Kumamoto Prefectural Government, 49 people died, 1 is missing and 19 possibly died with collateral damage of the earthquake. 80,657 houses were damaged and about 3,000 houses are still waiting for resumption of water supply. 10,477 people evacuated, leaving their vulnerable houses and spending their days in 244 shelters.

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has a standard for anti-earthquake for each houses, which indicates certain strength against earthquake. While the standard was laid for strength against degree 5 earthquake until 1981, the ministry raised the requirement for overcoming degree 6 or 7. The requirement was updated in 2000 with stricter standard for joint parts or improved layout of walls in the house.

However, Kumamoto Earthquake proved that new anti-earthquake standard was not sufficient. According to the research of Asahi Shimbun, 26 out of 139 collapsed houses in Mashiki Town, that suffered from the greatest damages around Kumamoto, had passed new anti-earthquake standard. 207 houses with the old standard survived the consecutive earthquakes as well as 265 with new standard.

Nevertheless, the Ministry refuses to update the standard. “Collapsed houses with new standard were only a part of all. It is too early to review the standard, because the reason of the damage is not clear,” told an officer of the Ministry to Asahi. It is possible that national government will need to find new budget of subsidy for strengthening the houses, if new standard is introduced.

Economic damages still remains. Toyota Motors suffered from broken supply chain, which is extended to all over Japan. Since Kumaoto Factory of Aisin Seiki, that supplied doors for Toyota cars, was shut down after the earthquake, supply of door parts has been in short, in spite of the effort to find alternative resources. Factories for auto cycles of Honda were damaged as severely as they cannot resume the oepration until mid-August. Agriculture in Kumamoto, known as good taste tomato or watermelon, lost ¥134 billion of its expected sales.

Shinzo Abe administration decided supplementary budget to help Kumamoto on Friday, which amounted to ¥778 billion. Not only for reconstruction of damaged land or infrastructure in Kumamoto, the government included budget for building a number of temporary houses for the evacuees, or for rebuilding ordinary life of the people. It is necessary for the administration to make their best for Kumamoto, putting political maneuver for constitutional amendment or other agenda aside.