2024 POLLS: Noto Residents with Mixed Hope, Resignation on Politics

Suzu, Ishikawa Pref., Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--Residents of the Noto Peninsula in central Japan, which was hit by a massive earthquake and a heavy rain disaster earlier this year, have mixed hope and resignation over politics ahead of Sunday's general election.

The slow pace of reconstruction after the disasters has residents worried that they could be left behind, although a number of ruling and opposition party leaders have visited affected areas.

On Oct. 5, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, visited an evacuation center in the Otani district of the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the northern part of the peninsula. At the evacuation center, Nobuko Jinabo, 85, looked him in the eye and asked the government to restore the district's damaged roads and water infrastructure.

Jinabo had planned to live alone in her old home in the district after her son and other family members evacuated to the southern part of Ishikawa. The heavy rain disaster cut off the water supply, however, and forced her to return to an evacuation center. Still, she is thankful for relief supplies sent from all over the country and other assistance. "There are decent nurses here who are very kind to me," she added.

The 67-year-old son, Yukio, complained about slow reconstruction. "I feel like we're being abandoned because they don't see a need to spend money on rural areas like here," he said. "This wouldn't happen in an urban area."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]