28 Victims Mourned 5 Years after Atami Mudslide

Atami, Shizuoka Pref., July 3 (Jiji Press)–A memorial ceremony was held Friday to honor the 28 victims of a major mudslide that struck Atami in the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka five years ago. Bereaved families, Shizuoka Governor Yasutomo Suzuki and Atami Mayor Sakae Saito attended the ceremony, which began at 9 a.m. at a community disaster prevention center in the disaster-hit Izusan district of Atami. The center was completed in March this year as part of reconstruction efforts. After the names of the 28 victims were read aloud, the participants laid flowers and observed a moment of silence. In his address at the ceremony, the mayor said: “We must never allow the memories and lessons of this disaster to fade. It is our duty, as those living today, to pass them on to the next generation without fail.” Yoko Koiso, 76, who lost her daughter, then 44, in the mudslide, said that the authorities had failed to protect people’s lives and property even though they had a duty to do so. “This was a man-made disaster,” she said. “I don’t want the authorities to evade their responsibilities by simply calling the mudslide a ‘natural disaster.'” Sirens blared across the city at 10:28 a.m., the time when the first report of the mudslide was received five years ago. The bereaved families moved to the sites where their homes once stood and offered silent prayers. On July 3, 2021, heavy rain caused an estimated 55,500 cubic meters of earth and sand to collapse from an area near the upstream part of the Aizome River where a large soil mound had been created, surging down to the port area. The mudslide engulfed 136 houses and other buildings and claimed the lives of 28 people, including one who died due to a cause indirectly related to the disaster. Up to 582 people were forced to evacuate at the time. Even now, 25 people from 12 households are still living as evacuees. A damages lawsuit filed by bereaved families and people affected by the disaster against the prefecture, the city, and the former and current owners of the site of the soil mound, alleging their negligence caused the disaster, will conclude in September. A ruling is expected to be handed down within fiscal 2026 ending in March next year. All four defendants deny their legal responsibilities. The Shizuoka prefectural police are continuing a criminal investigation over the disaster on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death. The Atami mudslide prompted stronger measures to prevent similar disasters in Japan, including the enactment of a law regulating dangerous soil mounds. Still, at least 254 hazardous soil mounds across the country remain without adequate safety measures, with 30 pct of them located in Shizuoka Prefecture. Authorities face difficulties in acting in some cases, such as when landowners fail to comply with their guidance and when developers cannot be identified. According to the land and internal affairs ministries, an emergency inspection of about 36,000 sites nationwide conducted immediately after the Atami disaster identified problems at 1,089 sites, including deficiencies in mound development permits or notifications and illegal dumping of waste. Among them, disaster prevention measures, such as the installation of retaining walls and drainage facilities, were not taken at 513 sites, and follow-up surveys conducted from July last year showed that measures had still not been taken at 254 sites. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]