WAJIMA, ISHIKAWA PREF. ¨C A memorial ceremony for victims of the Jan. 1, 2024, Noto Peninsula earthquake was held in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on the second anniversary of the disaster on Thursday.

The ceremony was attended by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was in office at the time of the massive earthquake, as well as disaster management minister Jiro Akama and Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase.

At 4:10 p.m., the time of the earthquake two years ago, 337 people, including 234 bereaved relatives, observed a minute of silence at the ceremony, which also honored victims of the September 2024 torrential rain and floods in the quake-hit region.

¡°By gathering all our wisdom, we will steadily advance efforts for creative reconstruction together with the people of Noto,¡± Hase said in a speech.

Representing the bereaved families, Shin Nakayama, a 29-year-old resident of Wajima, delivered a speech saying that he will support those who lost loved ones. Nakayama¡¯s older sister died during the rains in September 2024, after his home was destroyed in the earthquake.

Despite his deep grief, Nakayama said he began working as a community radio personality for a disaster-related program because he felt as if he were encouraged to do so by his sister.

Among the participating bereaved families was Yoshiko Takakura, 59, whose mother, Kimiko Seto, died at the age of 79 from an indirect cause about a month after the earthquake.

Takakura skipped last year¡¯s memorial ceremony, but she decided to attend this year¡¯s because she has recovered enough mentally to do so.

¡°I wanted to learn more from my mother,¡± said Takakura. ¡°I hope she will watch our reconstruction efforts.¡±

According to the prefectural government, 698 people died as a result of the earthquake, including those who died from indirect causes, while two remain missing. The torrential rain of September 2024 caused 20 deaths.

The Noto region faces many challenges in post-disaster reconstruction due to its aging population, which was an issue even before the disasters. More than 18,000 people are still living in temporary housing.