1-Month Window Key to Curb Kumamoto Quake-Linked Deaths

Uki, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 17 (Jiji Press)–An expert says the first month is critical to preventing disaster-related deaths, with many people still believed to be taking shelter in Kumamoto Prefecture three weeks after a powerful earthquake hit the southwestern Japan prefecture. The Japanese government and local municipalities in Kumamoto have shifted their focus to preventing deaths from indirect causes of the July 28 earthquake, which registered up to 7, the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, in some areas. In 2016, Kumamoto was struck by earthquakes registering the maximum seismic intensity of 7 on April 14 and April 16. At that time, the number of evacuees temporarily exceeded 180,000. More than 200 people were recognized as having died from disaster-related causes, including the shock of the earthquake, fear of aftershocks and physical and psychological strain from life in evacuation centers. According to a prefectural tally as of March 2021, 124, or 56 pct, of the disaster-related deaths occurred in the first month after the earthquakes. The January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, which struck the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa, also claimed many lives from indirect causes. According to data released by the Ishikawa prefectural government in December 2025, 147 such deaths occurred in the first month. “It’s important to closely assess the circumstances of each person in disaster-hit areas,” Shinichi Egawa, professor at Tohoku University’s International Research Institute of Disaster Science, said. “Authorities and medical professionals need to share information on whether people are older or require nursing care and whether they were taking medication, including those continuing to live at home or sleeping in their cars, and use this to provide appropriate care,” he said. Checking on older people who are prone to becoming isolated and encouraging them to brush their teeth to prevent pneumonia and other illnesses can also help curb disaster-related deaths, he added. After both the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes and the Noto Peninsula quake, deaths from indirect causes continued occurring beyond the first month. Egawa called for sustained efforts, saying that “restoring medical and nursing-care services as quickly as possible would help people in disaster-hit areas return to normal life, reduce stress and ultimately prevent disaster-related deaths.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]