Quake-Hit Okunoto Region Continue to See Biz Closures 2 Years On

Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref., Jan. 3 (Jiji Press)--Business closures are continuing at a rapid pace in areas hit hard by the powerful Noto Peninsula earthquake two years ago, especially in the Okunoto region in the peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan.

This is mainly due to a lack of business successors and the absence of bright prospects for continuing operations as populations in the areas damaged by the Jan. 1, 2024, temblor keep declining.

While work to restore damaged facilities is making progress in the current fiscal year ending in March, postdisaster reconstruction is standing at a critical juncture in terms of whether the region can revive its earning power leveraging its rich local resources.

According to a survey by Kono Shinkin Bank, the number of client firms that closed operations in the four municipalities in the Okunoto region, the lender's main service area, after the earthquake stood at 408 as of the end of November 2025, or about 15.2 pct of its total client businesses in the region, up sharply from 142 at the end of 2024. The four municipalities are the cities of Wajima and Suzu and the towns of Noto and Anamizu.

Young people continue to leave the region, resulting in severe shortages of business successors and labor force.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]