Many earthquake survivors on Japan's Noto Peninsula are still living in emergency temporary houses two years after the deadly disaster, which left 462 people dead.
More than 1,600 families in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, are still living in temporary housing units after the 7.6-magnitude earthquake destroyed their homes in January 2024.
"Prior to the earthquake, Suzu City had approximately 5,800 residential houses. The earthquake completely destroyed around 1,770 homes, accounting for about 30 percent of the total. The combined proportion of completely and half-destroyed houses in the earthquake exceeds 70 percent," said Masuhiro Izumiya, Mayor of Suzu City.
Izumiya said the main reasons residents are struggling to rebuild their homes are a local labor shortage and rising construction material prices.
"Our reconstruction effort is faced with a shortage of construction workers as construction companies are overwhelmed with demands. Many companies need to operate from Kanazawa, the prefectural capital of Ishikawa, or establish local offices in Suzu to advance projects, which presents a major logistical issue. Furthermore, compared to pre-disaster levels, prices for construction materials have generally increased, and labor costs have also risen," he said.
Since 2017, the city has been hosting the Oku-Noto International Art Festival every three years to attract tourists and boost the local economy.
However, as local accommodation facilities and restaurants have been unable to resume normal operations, this year's art festival could not be held.
"The art festival was originally planned for this autumn, but it was postponed due to slow progress in reconstruction. There is hope that it can be held in 2029," said Izumiya.
Survivors still live in temporary houses 2 years after earthquake in Japan's Noto Peninsula
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
