Japanese / English (Automatic translation by Deeple)
Translated on 2024.5.29
DATE：
Date of visit: Friday, April 12, 2024 - Monday, April 15, 2024
PLACE VISITED: Suzu City Nature Recreation Village Center and various places in Matsunagi Town
■Persons interviewed:
About 11 people from Matsunagi-machi
2 people from technical support
This is not a formal interview, but rather a summary of what we heard each time people gathered or when we had a chance to talk with them.
■About Matsunagi-machi, Suzu City
Located in the Okunoto region at the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula, the municipality of Suzu City is blessed with a beautiful coastline and abundant marine products. On the other hand, the prefectural capital, Kanazawa, is only about 134 km away (about 2 hours by car), and there is little flat land surrounded by the sea and mountains. In 1986, the area was designated as a Peninsula Promotion Area under the Peninsula Promotion Law in order to promote the peninsula region in a broad and comprehensive manner.
Suzu City is divided into 10 districts (宝立, 上戸, 飯田, 若山, 直, 正院, 蛸島, 三崎, 日置 and 大谷), each of which has a community center as its hub, where citizens hold social events and hobby club activities (*3). The district is further divided into 160 villages, which form the smallest unit of community management (*3). Magatsunagi-machi, introduced here, belongs to the Otani district. It is a small town with a population of 179 (79 households) (*4) in an area of approximately 8.7㎢ consisting of coastal and mountainous areas. (*4) However, it is a town where traditional culture is firmly rooted, as it has inherited the Agehama-style salt production that is said to have continued since the Kamakura period (1185-1333), and its labor song, Sunatoribushi, has been designated as an intangible folk cultural asset by Ishikawa Prefecture (*5), and the Sunatoribushi Festival and Kiriko Festival are held throughout the town from summer to autumn. On the other hand, the aging rate for the entire Oya area exceeds 60% (*6), which is much higher than the 50.3% rate for the entire city of Suzu. Due to the lack of successors caused by the declining youth population, the “Sunadori-bushi Festival,” which used to be held on August 13 every year, was temporarily suspended in 2023.
Sunset over the Sea of Japan (taken near the center).
A DVD of Sunatori-bushi, produced about 20 years ago.
■Isolated village by the earthquake
The area became an isolated settlement after the Noto Peninsula earthquake of January 1, 2024. Fortunately, it escaped tsunami damage and total destruction of its houses, but damage to houses, barns, and roads was extensive. Both the road to Otani Elementary and Junior High School, a designated evacuation center, and the road to the village in the opposite direction were rendered impassable by cliff collapses, leaving the entire village stranded (*7). (*7) In addition, the earthquake disabled water, gas, electricity, telecommunication services, and other infrastructure, completely cutting off information from the outside world. Since houses are scattered in the coastal and mountainous areas of the town, the stranded townspeople were forced to live in voluntary evacuation shelters in several different locations. Some of them spent their evacuation in plastic greenhouses. Eventually, people began to gather at the Suzu City Nature Recreation Center (hereafter “the Center”), which had previously been used as a tourist facility, and it began to function as an evacuation center.
The Suzu City Nature Recreation Village Center (above), which serves as an evacuation center, is part of the building that originally housed the Umami Elementary School.
A little panda in the old schoolyard. The cub pandas may have been added later, or they are made of different materials than the parent panda.
■Evacuation life in which the power of self-governance was maximized
At a glance, it is hard to believe that this is in the middle of a disaster-stricken area, where people are leading independent lives. What is even more surprising is the fact that the residents of the town have achieved this almost entirely by their own efforts. The most striking of all is the water supply. Water is still cut off in all but a few areas of Suzu City, and even now, more than three months after the earthquake, some areas have not even been surveyed (*8). (*8) However, the city has taken advantage of its location surrounded by mountains and abundant mountain water to secure water by drawing water from a spring approximately 300 meters away to the evacuation center via a distribution hose. This water is used for everything from washing the toilet, washing hands, washing dishes, using temporary toilets, and washing machines. In addition, one of the volunteers who arrived shortly after the disaster struck procured a wood-fired boiler and even built a handmade wood-fired bath. Thanks to this, the people at the center were able to take a hot bath for the first time in several weeks. In the bathroom where the wood boiler was installed, a sign reading “Gokuraku Onsen” was hung and festival lanterns were hung.
The center is divided into a living space and a dining hall and other social spaces. The living space is divided into “town residents' lodging” and “volunteer lodging,” and is furnished with cardboard beds and other bedding. The bedding was brought in by local residents from their own homes before it got wet due to leaks. The city provides boxed lunches (about one meal a day?) and relief supplies from the Self-Defense Forces, but after the disaster, the residents of the town have been left to fend for themselves. After the disaster, however, the residents of the town had to rely on food brought from their homes. In addition, although the sea bottom has risen and made it impossible to launch boats, the town has been able to harvest turban shells, wakame seaweed, and other seafood on the beach without having to dive into the sea, which has helped to supplement the food supply. This is truly self-sufficient, and is made possible by the fact that some of the evacuees are fishermen with fishing rights. Electricity has been restored as of April, but at the time of the disaster, the power had been out for a long time. The center was able to make use of a generator used at festivals to make do with what little electricity was available. Meals prepared at the center are also distributed to town residents living in evacuation shelters outside the center.
The water station was built by drawing water from a spring.
Mountain water is drawn through a distribution hose to be used at the center.
The baths are heated by a wood-fired boiler.
In the changing room, photos of the baths in progress are displayed, and the words “Gokuraku Onsen” are written on the wall.
Other features include a circulating shower system that saves water (blue tent on the left).
A beach with a raised seabed (photo taken near the center).
The raised beach appears white because seaweed attached to the rocks dries and turns white.
Sakae and Kajime harvested from the beach.
osa seaweed is dried and used for meals.
An example of a meal served to the townspeople.
Sazae rice, udon noodles with seaweed, and shiitake mushrooms, vinegared Sazae and cucumber, and vinegared sea cucumber and grated radish.
Room division in the center.
Bedding brought in by townspeople is being organized and utilized.
■Self-supporting disaster recovery
This may sound like fun, but the reality is harsh. It was not until January 3, two days after the disaster, that seven Self-Defense Force officers arrived in Umamachi after traversing a road blocked by a cliff collapse. It was a ray of hope for the people who had been completely isolated, and one of the townspeople said that the camouflage uniforms of the SDF personnel “looked radiant” at that time. Since the batteries at the base station had run out, there was no cell phone service and no outside information at all, and it was not until the Self-Defense Force personnel shared information with them that they learned of the intensity of the disaster. Because lifesaving was the top priority for the first 72 hours after the disaster, the transportation of relief supplies and the restoration of infrastructure for daily life were to be carried out sequentially thereafter.
After that, the town's residents began to share information, survey roads that were passable, collect information on evacuation sites, and interview people about their needs for assistance. Since many of the roads were inaccessible by car, a representative went on foot to the Suzu City Hall to submit a list of evacuees in Matsunagi-machi to the city government and report on the current situation. At that time, they walked for six hours along a mountain road carrying daily necessities, kerosene, and other supplies (normally it takes about 30 minutes each way by car). There, they borrowed a satellite cellular phone from the city, secured a means of communication, and began the process of restoration.
However, in the shelters in the middle of winter without heating, many people developed high fevers and sudden illnesses. Even after Self-Defense Force vehicles cleared the roads, it was difficult for ordinary vehicles to pass through, and there were no doctors in the area. While measures were being taken to isolate patients with infectious diseases by creating isolation rooms, an emergency support team from ARROWS, a flying search-and-rescue medical team, arrived by helicopter on January 6. A temporary clinic was opened to provide health counseling, prescribe medicines, and distribute masks. The situation at that time is covered in detail on the ARROWS website and the Bunshun Online website (*9 and 10).
The high degree of autonomy of Matsunagi-machi can also be seen in terms of disaster recovery. Temporary storage sites for disaster waste have been set up in several locations in the city, but the waste must be transported by car to a location several tens of minutes away from the town of Matsunagi-machi, which often lacks personnel and vehicles to transport the waste. Therefore, a system was established at the center to consolidate disaster garbage collection points, check the sorting of garbage, and transport it all together. In response to the serious shortage of engineers and volunteers to assist in disaster recovery, Matsunagi-machi has set up a volunteer lodging facility within the center, and in cooperation with the Suzu City Council of Social Welfare, accepts volunteers from the prefecture, while also accepting and coordinating volunteers on its own. As a result of these activities, the center is now designated by the city as an evacuation center, although it originated spontaneously as a voluntary evacuation center.
From the time of the disaster to the present, detailed records have been accumulated.
The Sunatori Bushi monument that was damaged by the disaster.
Relief supplies by the Self-Defense Forces were organized and distributed to townspeople.
Disaster garbage dump set up beside the center.
Technical assistants from all over Japan are playing an active role, but a shortage of manpower has also been pointed out.
■Townspeople to replace the government
In addition to providing living space, running water, daily necessities, and meals, the people of Umamachi are responsible for surveying the needs of the town's residents, collecting disaster garbage, and accepting volunteers from outside the town, in a sense replacing the administrative functions of the city and prefecture. However, many of the townspeople who gather at the center are themselves victims of the disaster, and many of them have gone to work during the day after their social activities have resumed to some extent. Many of them are working during the daytime after their social activities have resumed to a certain extent. Immediately after the earthquake, a large group of about 200 people gathered at the center and worked together to maintain a minimum standard of living. Looking back on the discussions and wisdom of the local residents, who had never experienced anything like this before, one can see the high degree of autonomy that the residents themselves have in managing and carrying out community operations. Although it is impossible to understand what supports this in just a few days of stay, it seems to be largely due to the fact that the townspeople shared the awareness that “no one can be depended on” in their isolated life-and-death situation. In addition to this, the cohesiveness that has sustained the Chirico Festival and the Sunatoribushi Festival is probably another reason. Above all, the people of the center are extremely hardworking and industrious. Fishermen go out to collect turban shells at 5:00 a.m., dry the aosa in the sun, and then go to work. Others are already in the kitchen at 5:00 a.m., and by the time others are getting up, they have finished preparing breakfast and are ready to go to work. When they return to the center after work, in addition to sharing information and discussing the future, they print out photos of the volunteers' activities, laminate them, and put them on the walls of the dining room. Behind this resilience, there seemed to be a spirit of humor that never forgets to have fun, no matter what the situation. The dining hall is filled with laughter in the mornings and evenings, and birthday parties are held to add color to the monotony of life at the shelter. When one of the first residents celebrated his birthday, he had no favorite food, so he celebrated by putting pickled plums on tofu, which was among the ingredients he had brought with him, to make it look like a cake.
■Organize the entities that recruit disaster relief volunteers
At this point, let us take a moment to organize the entities that accept disaster relief volunteers.
As of April 2024, the main organization accepting disaster relief volunteers from all over Japan is Ishikawa Prefecture, commonly referred to as “prefectural volunteer organizations. Volunteers are recruited based on needs assessments conducted by the social welfare organizations (Disaster Relief Volunteer Centers) of local governments in the prefecture, and are dispatched by volunteer buses (in some cases, they may be assembled onsite). In addition, some municipalities also recruit individual volunteers who live nearby, truck volunteers, and group volunteers for soup kitchens at their own discretion (*11).
Since Okunoto is nearly two hours from the volunteer bus base, the prefecture established an accommodation base (base camp) in Anamizu Town to ensure time for activities, and began accepting volunteers for two days and one night (pre-night stay) from 4/16 to 4/21 activities (*12). In Nanao City, Soja City in Okayama Prefecture and a private organization have collaborated to set up an accommodation base (tent village) in Nanao City and are accepting volunteers (*13). In Suzu City, the “Volunteer Camp Suzu Operation Council” formed by Hosei University and private organizations has established and is operating “Volunteer Camp Suzu,” an accommodation base (base camp) for volunteers (*14 and 15). In addition, the Noto Town Regional Council has been matching accommodation facilities that have reopened for business with volunteers and contractors since February (*16), and it is believed that such accommodation bases are being established by private and local organizations elsewhere.
Those who have pre-registered for the prefectural volunteer program receive an e-mail about every other week with the number of volunteers needed, the location, and the URL for the application form. Many people want to volunteer for day trips on Saturdays and Sundays, and the positions are often all filled within minutes of the start of the application period. According to the Chunichi Shimbun dated April 3, 2024, the number of registered volunteers for the prefectural volunteer program is about 35,000, but the total number of volunteers during the three-month period is only 14,000 (*17). This does not mean that volunteers are unnecessary. Volunteers who have been working in the area for a long time have commented that the CSW coordinating volunteers are understaffed, and that they have not been able to identify and match the needs of disaster victims in time (*18).
On the other hand, apart from official volunteer recruitment, private volunteer groups specializing in disaster relief have been active in various areas since immediately after the disaster. According to the Japan Volunteer Organizations for Aid and Disaster Relief (JVOAD), a non-profit organization, a total of approximately 200 private organizations had been active in the disaster area by April 4, 2024 (*19).
A mountain road where steel plates have been laid to allow vehicles to pass (in Suzu City).
Road lost due to a landslide (in Suzu City).
(We found it when we got lost in the mountains. We immediately turned back.)
Some roads are closed except for emergency vehicles.
■Issues raised by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake
Various causes of the earthquake, such as severed roads and the topography of the peninsula with few flat areas, have been pointed out as factors delaying reconstruction. At the same time, problems with the government's slow initial response and subsequent actions have also been pointed out (*20). Under such circumstances, there has even been a mass migration controversy, which suggests that rather than maintaining depopulated settlements, mass migration to urban areas should be done to reduce infrastructure costs (*21). According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, as of February, the number of isolated settlements is said to have reached 3,345 people in up to 24 districts (*22). (*22) However, there have been reports of isolated settlements outside of Umamachi where residents have been using excavators to clear roadblocks for farm road maintenance and pumping water from wells to use as domestic water (*23). In mountain villages, a relatively large number of people, mainly elderly people, are engaged in agriculture and forestry and are skilled in handling heavy machinery. In addition, since infrastructure is not as well developed as in urban areas, they have long had the wisdom and skills to maintain and manage their own infrastructure. In an inconvenient land, people have developed the ability to adapt to the inconvenience, and this ability was demonstrated in the event of a disaster. I wonder how many people would be able to do the same thing if a disaster occurred in the center of a city.
■Demographics of Suzu City and Okunoto Area
According to Jiji Press, a total of 1,400 people reported moving out of their residences in the six cities and towns in the Noto region that were severely damaged by the recent Noto Peninsula earthquake in January and February (*24). According to the same article, the number of people who moved out of the city of Suzu increased 7.3-fold to 227 this year, compared to 31 in January and February last year. The situation is such that it is difficult to foresee whether or not they will return to the area in the future.
At this point, it is impossible to make a judgment on how depopulation in Suzu City will change as a result of the earthquake. However, it is a fact that population decline has been steadily progressing for more than 50 years. The population peaked at about 38,000 in 1950, declined sharply during the period of rapid economic growth from 1955 to 1970, and continues to decline today. 2015's population is about 40% of that of 1950, and the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research estimates that the population will be 7,218 in 2040 (*25).
Not only in Suzu City, but also in the Okunoto region, the population has continued to decline from the period of high economic growth to the present, with the population declining at a rate of -48.1% over the 40-year period from 1980 to 2020, the most significant rate in Ishikawa Prefecture (*26). This depopulation is a trend seen not only in the Noto Peninsula but also in farming, mountain, and fishing villages throughout Japan, and the main cause is believed to be the mass migration of young people from rural areas to urban areas for secondary and tertiary industries as the labor force during the period of rapid economic growth (*27). In 1970, the government enacted the Law Concerning Emergency Measures for Depopulation Areas, but no drastic solution has yet been found. Okunoto and Suzu City, which were designated as areas for implementation of peninsular development measures in 1986, are recognized as areas in need of urgent measures, as are depopulated areas throughout Japan.
■Self-help, mutual aid, and public assistance” in the community
When the Kan cabinet was formed in 2020, the catchphrase “self-help, mutual aid, and public assistance” was taken up, and it was touted as essential for residents to help each other in order to sustain the lives of the people (*29). This is not a new concept. The subsidiarity principle, in which individuals are respected and on top of that, regions complement individuals and the state complements regions, was supported by the EU's “European Charter of Local Self-Government” in 1985 (*30). The subsidiarity principle in the EU aims to avoid centralization, to have diverse actors cooperate with each other, and to curb power. The subsidiarity principle in the EU is intended to help diverse actors cooperate with each other and curb power in order to avoid centralization. On the other hand, when one thinks of “self-help” and “mutual aid” in Japan, the relationship between local community-based organizations such as neighborhood associations and neighborhood councils and the government inevitably comes to mind. The history of community-based organizations is long, and it is said that in the medieval period, local management was conducted through a high degree of self-governance in the mura (*31). In recent years, neighborhood associations have been subcontracted by government departments to perform a variety of tasks (e.g., traffic safety work, trash station management, etc.), and the government offices that place the orders are not fully aware of all of the tasks (*32).
In a sense, this appears to be the government taking advantage of the “self-help” and “mutual-assistance” of the local residents for its own convenience. Is it possible that the government's irresponsible expectation of “self-help” and “mutual aid” is not hidden behind the government's response to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024? The self-governing power of the local residents that emerged in the town of Umamachi moved the government to realize a kind of “bottom-up” integration of order in the face of an imminent disaster. What to do with the community after the disaster is a matter that should be decided by the people concerned through deliberation, regardless of whether they stay in the community or move to a new location. Without looking at this reality, depopulated areas should not be dismissed as a cost (*33) and arguments such as the mass migration debate should not be easily raised in the absence of the parties concerned. It is difficult to predict when and where a major earthquake will strike, and in recent years, global warming has made large-scale flooding more serious. One way to prepare for “when the time comes” is not to take the situation of disaster-stricken areas as an isolated event, but to take it seriously as something that will happen to us someday.
That's it for now.
【References】
※1）2020, National census.
※2）Suzu City「令和3年度～令和5年度 珠洲市高齢者福祉プラン：第9次珠洲市老人福祉計画第8期珠洲市介護保険事業計画」（珠洲市 令和3年3月）, p10
※3）すず里山里海移住フロント「すっとずっと：珠洲発・暮らしのウェブマガジン」HP https://sutto-zutto.com/10area/, Browing at 2024.4.17.
※4）2020, National census.
※5）Designated in 1968. Ishikawa Prefecture HP https://www.pref.ishikawa.lg.jp/kyoiku/bunkazai/minzoku/k2-2.html, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※6）Suzu City「令和3年度～令和5年度 珠洲市高齢者福祉プラン：第9次珠洲市老人福祉計画第8期珠洲市介護保険事業計画」（珠洲市 令和3年3月）, p12
※7）About 10 settlements? The blackboard at the center read "泊・国永出・仲平山・忍久保出・赤神・中浜・鰐崎・新島・笹波・石神・高屋".
※8）Suzu City HP「水道・下水道」https://www.city.suzu.lg.jp/soshiki/5/11636.html, Browsing at 2024.4.21. At this point, the “water supply schedule” is “undecided (detailed investigation will be conducted in the future)” in the Shimizu area.
※9）空飛ぶ捜索医療団の緊急支援チームARROWS HP「【令和6年能登半島地震】誰一人、取り残さない。孤立集落に安心と笑顔を届ける」（Article in 2024.1.8）https://arrows.peace-winds.org/news/emergency/n20240108/, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※10）文春オンラインHP「地震で孤立した村で始まった予想外にハイレベルな「自給自足」生活 お祭り用の発電機でウォシュレット、山から水を引いて200人分の料理も」（Article in 2024.2.17）https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/68929, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※11）As of April 17, 2024, Uchinada Town and Hodatsushimizu Town were the only two cities that were recruiting individual disaster relief volunteers from across Japan other than prefectural volunteers.
【Sources】
・The Hodatsushimizu Town Council of Social Welfare independently began recruiting disaster relief volunteers on March 12, including those outside the neighborhood.
宝達志水町社会福祉協議会 https://hodatsushimizuvc-ishikawa.jimdofree.com/%E3%81%8A%E7%9F%A5%E3%82%89%E3%81%9B/, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
・Uchinada Town began recruiting volunteers on its own as early as January, although conditions were unclear.
内灘町社会福祉協議会HP http://uchisyakyo.jp/info/%e5%86%85%e7%81%98%e7%94%ba%e7%81%bd%e5%ae%b3%e3%83%9c%e3%83%a9%e3%83%b3%e3%83%86%e3%82%a3%e3%82%a2%e6%b4%bb%e5%8b%95%e5%8b%9f%e9%9b%86/, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
・Kaga City closed the Kaga City Disaster Volunteer Center on April 2, 2024.
加賀市社会福祉協議会HP http://www.kagavc.jp/?p=1697
・There is no evidence that a disaster volunteer center has been established in Kanazawa. There is no record of volunteers being recruited in Kanazawa, even in Ishikawa Prefecture.
令和6年(2024年)能登半島地震・石川県災害ボランティア情報HP https://prefvc-ishikawa.jimdofree.com/, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※12）令和6年(2024年)能登半島地震・石川県災害ボランティア情報HP https://prefvc-ishikawa.jimdofree.com/, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※13）Soja City, Okayama Prefecture HP「能登半島地震支援テントプロジェクト」https://www.city.soja.okayama.jp/kikikanri/kurashi/bousai/sonotabousai/volunteerbosyu.html, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※14）モンベルHP「「ボランティアキャンプすず運営協議会」からお知らせ」https://about.montbell.jp/release/disp.php?id=687, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※15）ボランティアキャンプすず運営協議会FB https://www.facebook.com/volunteercampsuzu/?locale=ja_JP, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※16）能登島地域協議会HP「【ボランティア・業者様向け】能登島の宿泊施設をマッチングします」https://notojima-chiiki.com/post-1969/, Browsing at 2024.4.25.
※17）中日新聞HP「【能登半島地震】人手不足が復旧の壁 ボランティア受け入れ まだ１万4000人」https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/878404（2024.4.3）, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※18）「能登半島地震活動報告会」（主催：NRN能登復興ネットワーク／日時：2024.4.18（木）11:00～12:30／オンライン開催）における参加者の発言より。
※19）JVOAD HP「令和6年能登半島地震」「お知らせ 2024.4.4記事」https://jvoad.jp/disaster-name/%e4%bb%a4%e5%92%8c6%e5%b9%b4%e8%83%bd%e7%99%bb%e5%8d%8a%e5%b3%b6%e5%9c%b0%e9%9c%87/?post_type=news, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※20）For example, the following points are made.
・東京新聞HP「能登半島孤立「初動遅れ」には理由があった 何度も地震があったのに「災害時の道路復旧計画」国は検討だけ」（2024.1.26記事）https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/305216
・朝日新聞HP「「初動に人災」「阪神の教訓ゼロ」能登入りした防災学者の告白」（Article in 2024.1.14）https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS1G2P91S1CUTFL01Y.html
・毎日新聞HP「五百旗頭真氏がみる能登地震の対応 「自衛隊の初動に手抜かり」」（Article in 2024.3.2）https://mainichi.jp/articles/20240301/k00/00m/040/350000c
※21）For example, the following points are made.
・ダイヤモンドオンライン HP「ひろゆきが論破された能登「集団移住論争」、石川県の人口ゼロ集落を全て回った研究者の本音は？」（Article in 2024.2.11）https://diamond.jp/articles/-/338501
・地域活性学会による【能登半島地震】災害復興に関する論点まとめ（2024.1.16から更新中）
https://chiiki-kassei-jk.com/archives/7529, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※22）防災ニッポンHP（読売新聞 Article in 2024.1.17） https://www.bosai.yomiuri.co.jp/biz/article/12508, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※23）東京新聞HP「「たまたま重機と運転できる人がそろっていた」 住民だけで道路を復旧、3日間で孤立解消 石川・穴水町」（Article in 2024.1.23）https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/304557, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※24）時事通信社HP「被災６市町、１４００人が転出届 地震２カ月で「過疎化拍車」―石川」（Article in 2024.4.1）https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2024040101010&g=soc, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※25）Suzu City「2020（令和2）年度 珠洲市人口ビジョン（改訂版）」（p1）
※26）Ishikawa Prefecture「石川県過疎地域持続的発展方針（令和3年度～令和7年度）」令和3年7月（令和4年6月改訂）（p7-9）
※27）総務省地域力創造グループ過疎対策室「令和3年度版 過疎対策の現況 令和5年3月」（p1）
※28）令和2年度版 国土交通白書（p30）
※29）ダイヤモンド・オンラインHP「菅首相が掲げる「自助」「共助」「公助」の本当の意味」（2020.9.29）https://diamond.jp/articles/-/248616, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※30）関谷 昇, 補完性原理と地方自治についての一考察─消極・積極二元論に伴う曖昧さの克服に向けて,『公共研究』第4巻第1号, 千葉大学公共研究センター, 2007, pp.81-109／p83とp85を参照
※31）For example, 蔵持重裕2002『中世村の歴史語り：湖国「共和国」の形成史』吉川弘文館 等
※32）沼尾史久・花立勝広「都市内分権」の論理（1）（2・完）―いかに委嘱制度は廃止されたか―」信州大学経法論集 第6号, pp.143-169, 2019.4／第7号, pp.33-103, 2019.9
※33）For example, a statement regarding costs was made at a subcommittee meeting of the Council on Fiscal Institutions on April 9, 2024, which led to an evacuation from the affected areas.
・毎日新聞HP「能登地震の復興「需要減少や維持コストも念頭」 財政審分科会」https://mainichi.jp/articles/20240409/k00/00m/040/101000c（2024.4.9）, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
・東京新聞HP「能登復興に「コスト削減」を持ち出した財務省に被災地は憤慨 そこまで節約したいなら、万博が先では？」https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/321605（2024.4.17）, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
Translated on 2024.5.29
DATE：
Date of visit: Friday, April 12, 2024 - Monday, April 15, 2024
PLACE VISITED: Suzu City Nature Recreation Village Center and various places in Matsunagi Town
■Persons interviewed:
About 11 people from Matsunagi-machi
2 people from technical support
This is not a formal interview, but rather a summary of what we heard each time people gathered or when we had a chance to talk with them.
■About Matsunagi-machi, Suzu City
Located in the Okunoto region at the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula, the municipality of Suzu City is blessed with a beautiful coastline and abundant marine products. On the other hand, the prefectural capital, Kanazawa, is only about 134 km away (about 2 hours by car), and there is little flat land surrounded by the sea and mountains. In 1986, the area was designated as a Peninsula Promotion Area under the Peninsula Promotion Law in order to promote the peninsula region in a broad and comprehensive manner.
Suzu City is divided into 10 districts (宝立, 上戸, 飯田, 若山, 直, 正院, 蛸島, 三崎, 日置 and 大谷), each of which has a community center as its hub, where citizens hold social events and hobby club activities (*3). The district is further divided into 160 villages, which form the smallest unit of community management (*3). Magatsunagi-machi, introduced here, belongs to the Otani district. It is a small town with a population of 179 (79 households) (*4) in an area of approximately 8.7㎢ consisting of coastal and mountainous areas. (*4) However, it is a town where traditional culture is firmly rooted, as it has inherited the Agehama-style salt production that is said to have continued since the Kamakura period (1185-1333), and its labor song, Sunatoribushi, has been designated as an intangible folk cultural asset by Ishikawa Prefecture (*5), and the Sunatoribushi Festival and Kiriko Festival are held throughout the town from summer to autumn. On the other hand, the aging rate for the entire Oya area exceeds 60% (*6), which is much higher than the 50.3% rate for the entire city of Suzu. Due to the lack of successors caused by the declining youth population, the “Sunadori-bushi Festival,” which used to be held on August 13 every year, was temporarily suspended in 2023.
Sunset over the Sea of Japan (taken near the center).
A DVD of Sunatori-bushi, produced about 20 years ago.
■Isolated village by the earthquake
The area became an isolated settlement after the Noto Peninsula earthquake of January 1, 2024. Fortunately, it escaped tsunami damage and total destruction of its houses, but damage to houses, barns, and roads was extensive. Both the road to Otani Elementary and Junior High School, a designated evacuation center, and the road to the village in the opposite direction were rendered impassable by cliff collapses, leaving the entire village stranded (*7). (*7) In addition, the earthquake disabled water, gas, electricity, telecommunication services, and other infrastructure, completely cutting off information from the outside world. Since houses are scattered in the coastal and mountainous areas of the town, the stranded townspeople were forced to live in voluntary evacuation shelters in several different locations. Some of them spent their evacuation in plastic greenhouses. Eventually, people began to gather at the Suzu City Nature Recreation Center (hereafter “the Center”), which had previously been used as a tourist facility, and it began to function as an evacuation center.
The Suzu City Nature Recreation Village Center (above), which serves as an evacuation center, is part of the building that originally housed the Umami Elementary School.
A little panda in the old schoolyard. The cub pandas may have been added later, or they are made of different materials than the parent panda.
■Evacuation life in which the power of self-governance was maximized
At a glance, it is hard to believe that this is in the middle of a disaster-stricken area, where people are leading independent lives. What is even more surprising is the fact that the residents of the town have achieved this almost entirely by their own efforts. The most striking of all is the water supply. Water is still cut off in all but a few areas of Suzu City, and even now, more than three months after the earthquake, some areas have not even been surveyed (*8). (*8) However, the city has taken advantage of its location surrounded by mountains and abundant mountain water to secure water by drawing water from a spring approximately 300 meters away to the evacuation center via a distribution hose. This water is used for everything from washing the toilet, washing hands, washing dishes, using temporary toilets, and washing machines. In addition, one of the volunteers who arrived shortly after the disaster struck procured a wood-fired boiler and even built a handmade wood-fired bath. Thanks to this, the people at the center were able to take a hot bath for the first time in several weeks. In the bathroom where the wood boiler was installed, a sign reading “Gokuraku Onsen” was hung and festival lanterns were hung.
The center is divided into a living space and a dining hall and other social spaces. The living space is divided into “town residents' lodging” and “volunteer lodging,” and is furnished with cardboard beds and other bedding. The bedding was brought in by local residents from their own homes before it got wet due to leaks. The city provides boxed lunches (about one meal a day?) and relief supplies from the Self-Defense Forces, but after the disaster, the residents of the town have been left to fend for themselves. After the disaster, however, the residents of the town had to rely on food brought from their homes. In addition, although the sea bottom has risen and made it impossible to launch boats, the town has been able to harvest turban shells, wakame seaweed, and other seafood on the beach without having to dive into the sea, which has helped to supplement the food supply. This is truly self-sufficient, and is made possible by the fact that some of the evacuees are fishermen with fishing rights. Electricity has been restored as of April, but at the time of the disaster, the power had been out for a long time. The center was able to make use of a generator used at festivals to make do with what little electricity was available. Meals prepared at the center are also distributed to town residents living in evacuation shelters outside the center.
The water station was built by drawing water from a spring.
Mountain water is drawn through a distribution hose to be used at the center.
The baths are heated by a wood-fired boiler.
In the changing room, photos of the baths in progress are displayed, and the words “Gokuraku Onsen” are written on the wall.
Other features include a circulating shower system that saves water (blue tent on the left).
A beach with a raised seabed (photo taken near the center).
The raised beach appears white because seaweed attached to the rocks dries and turns white.
Sakae and Kajime harvested from the beach.
osa seaweed is dried and used for meals.
An example of a meal served to the townspeople.
Sazae rice, udon noodles with seaweed, and shiitake mushrooms, vinegared Sazae and cucumber, and vinegared sea cucumber and grated radish.
Room division in the center.
Bedding brought in by townspeople is being organized and utilized.
■Self-supporting disaster recovery
This may sound like fun, but the reality is harsh. It was not until January 3, two days after the disaster, that seven Self-Defense Force officers arrived in Umamachi after traversing a road blocked by a cliff collapse. It was a ray of hope for the people who had been completely isolated, and one of the townspeople said that the camouflage uniforms of the SDF personnel “looked radiant” at that time. Since the batteries at the base station had run out, there was no cell phone service and no outside information at all, and it was not until the Self-Defense Force personnel shared information with them that they learned of the intensity of the disaster. Because lifesaving was the top priority for the first 72 hours after the disaster, the transportation of relief supplies and the restoration of infrastructure for daily life were to be carried out sequentially thereafter.
After that, the town's residents began to share information, survey roads that were passable, collect information on evacuation sites, and interview people about their needs for assistance. Since many of the roads were inaccessible by car, a representative went on foot to the Suzu City Hall to submit a list of evacuees in Matsunagi-machi to the city government and report on the current situation. At that time, they walked for six hours along a mountain road carrying daily necessities, kerosene, and other supplies (normally it takes about 30 minutes each way by car). There, they borrowed a satellite cellular phone from the city, secured a means of communication, and began the process of restoration.
However, in the shelters in the middle of winter without heating, many people developed high fevers and sudden illnesses. Even after Self-Defense Force vehicles cleared the roads, it was difficult for ordinary vehicles to pass through, and there were no doctors in the area. While measures were being taken to isolate patients with infectious diseases by creating isolation rooms, an emergency support team from ARROWS, a flying search-and-rescue medical team, arrived by helicopter on January 6. A temporary clinic was opened to provide health counseling, prescribe medicines, and distribute masks. The situation at that time is covered in detail on the ARROWS website and the Bunshun Online website (*9 and 10).
The high degree of autonomy of Matsunagi-machi can also be seen in terms of disaster recovery. Temporary storage sites for disaster waste have been set up in several locations in the city, but the waste must be transported by car to a location several tens of minutes away from the town of Matsunagi-machi, which often lacks personnel and vehicles to transport the waste. Therefore, a system was established at the center to consolidate disaster garbage collection points, check the sorting of garbage, and transport it all together. In response to the serious shortage of engineers and volunteers to assist in disaster recovery, Matsunagi-machi has set up a volunteer lodging facility within the center, and in cooperation with the Suzu City Council of Social Welfare, accepts volunteers from the prefecture, while also accepting and coordinating volunteers on its own. As a result of these activities, the center is now designated by the city as an evacuation center, although it originated spontaneously as a voluntary evacuation center.
From the time of the disaster to the present, detailed records have been accumulated.
The Sunatori Bushi monument that was damaged by the disaster.
Relief supplies by the Self-Defense Forces were organized and distributed to townspeople.
Disaster garbage dump set up beside the center.
Technical assistants from all over Japan are playing an active role, but a shortage of manpower has also been pointed out.
■Townspeople to replace the government
In addition to providing living space, running water, daily necessities, and meals, the people of Umamachi are responsible for surveying the needs of the town's residents, collecting disaster garbage, and accepting volunteers from outside the town, in a sense replacing the administrative functions of the city and prefecture. However, many of the townspeople who gather at the center are themselves victims of the disaster, and many of them have gone to work during the day after their social activities have resumed to some extent. Many of them are working during the daytime after their social activities have resumed to a certain extent. Immediately after the earthquake, a large group of about 200 people gathered at the center and worked together to maintain a minimum standard of living. Looking back on the discussions and wisdom of the local residents, who had never experienced anything like this before, one can see the high degree of autonomy that the residents themselves have in managing and carrying out community operations. Although it is impossible to understand what supports this in just a few days of stay, it seems to be largely due to the fact that the townspeople shared the awareness that “no one can be depended on” in their isolated life-and-death situation. In addition to this, the cohesiveness that has sustained the Chirico Festival and the Sunatoribushi Festival is probably another reason. Above all, the people of the center are extremely hardworking and industrious. Fishermen go out to collect turban shells at 5:00 a.m., dry the aosa in the sun, and then go to work. Others are already in the kitchen at 5:00 a.m., and by the time others are getting up, they have finished preparing breakfast and are ready to go to work. When they return to the center after work, in addition to sharing information and discussing the future, they print out photos of the volunteers' activities, laminate them, and put them on the walls of the dining room. Behind this resilience, there seemed to be a spirit of humor that never forgets to have fun, no matter what the situation. The dining hall is filled with laughter in the mornings and evenings, and birthday parties are held to add color to the monotony of life at the shelter. When one of the first residents celebrated his birthday, he had no favorite food, so he celebrated by putting pickled plums on tofu, which was among the ingredients he had brought with him, to make it look like a cake.
■Organize the entities that recruit disaster relief volunteers
At this point, let us take a moment to organize the entities that accept disaster relief volunteers.
As of April 2024, the main organization accepting disaster relief volunteers from all over Japan is Ishikawa Prefecture, commonly referred to as “prefectural volunteer organizations. Volunteers are recruited based on needs assessments conducted by the social welfare organizations (Disaster Relief Volunteer Centers) of local governments in the prefecture, and are dispatched by volunteer buses (in some cases, they may be assembled onsite). In addition, some municipalities also recruit individual volunteers who live nearby, truck volunteers, and group volunteers for soup kitchens at their own discretion (*11).
Since Okunoto is nearly two hours from the volunteer bus base, the prefecture established an accommodation base (base camp) in Anamizu Town to ensure time for activities, and began accepting volunteers for two days and one night (pre-night stay) from 4/16 to 4/21 activities (*12). In Nanao City, Soja City in Okayama Prefecture and a private organization have collaborated to set up an accommodation base (tent village) in Nanao City and are accepting volunteers (*13). In Suzu City, the “Volunteer Camp Suzu Operation Council” formed by Hosei University and private organizations has established and is operating “Volunteer Camp Suzu,” an accommodation base (base camp) for volunteers (*14 and 15). In addition, the Noto Town Regional Council has been matching accommodation facilities that have reopened for business with volunteers and contractors since February (*16), and it is believed that such accommodation bases are being established by private and local organizations elsewhere.
Those who have pre-registered for the prefectural volunteer program receive an e-mail about every other week with the number of volunteers needed, the location, and the URL for the application form. Many people want to volunteer for day trips on Saturdays and Sundays, and the positions are often all filled within minutes of the start of the application period. According to the Chunichi Shimbun dated April 3, 2024, the number of registered volunteers for the prefectural volunteer program is about 35,000, but the total number of volunteers during the three-month period is only 14,000 (*17). This does not mean that volunteers are unnecessary. Volunteers who have been working in the area for a long time have commented that the CSW coordinating volunteers are understaffed, and that they have not been able to identify and match the needs of disaster victims in time (*18).
On the other hand, apart from official volunteer recruitment, private volunteer groups specializing in disaster relief have been active in various areas since immediately after the disaster. According to the Japan Volunteer Organizations for Aid and Disaster Relief (JVOAD), a non-profit organization, a total of approximately 200 private organizations had been active in the disaster area by April 4, 2024 (*19).
A mountain road where steel plates have been laid to allow vehicles to pass (in Suzu City).
Road lost due to a landslide (in Suzu City).
(We found it when we got lost in the mountains. We immediately turned back.)
Some roads are closed except for emergency vehicles.
■Issues raised by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake
Various causes of the earthquake, such as severed roads and the topography of the peninsula with few flat areas, have been pointed out as factors delaying reconstruction. At the same time, problems with the government's slow initial response and subsequent actions have also been pointed out (*20). Under such circumstances, there has even been a mass migration controversy, which suggests that rather than maintaining depopulated settlements, mass migration to urban areas should be done to reduce infrastructure costs (*21). According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, as of February, the number of isolated settlements is said to have reached 3,345 people in up to 24 districts (*22). (*22) However, there have been reports of isolated settlements outside of Umamachi where residents have been using excavators to clear roadblocks for farm road maintenance and pumping water from wells to use as domestic water (*23). In mountain villages, a relatively large number of people, mainly elderly people, are engaged in agriculture and forestry and are skilled in handling heavy machinery. In addition, since infrastructure is not as well developed as in urban areas, they have long had the wisdom and skills to maintain and manage their own infrastructure. In an inconvenient land, people have developed the ability to adapt to the inconvenience, and this ability was demonstrated in the event of a disaster. I wonder how many people would be able to do the same thing if a disaster occurred in the center of a city.
■Demographics of Suzu City and Okunoto Area
According to Jiji Press, a total of 1,400 people reported moving out of their residences in the six cities and towns in the Noto region that were severely damaged by the recent Noto Peninsula earthquake in January and February (*24). According to the same article, the number of people who moved out of the city of Suzu increased 7.3-fold to 227 this year, compared to 31 in January and February last year. The situation is such that it is difficult to foresee whether or not they will return to the area in the future.
At this point, it is impossible to make a judgment on how depopulation in Suzu City will change as a result of the earthquake. However, it is a fact that population decline has been steadily progressing for more than 50 years. The population peaked at about 38,000 in 1950, declined sharply during the period of rapid economic growth from 1955 to 1970, and continues to decline today. 2015's population is about 40% of that of 1950, and the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research estimates that the population will be 7,218 in 2040 (*25).
Not only in Suzu City, but also in the Okunoto region, the population has continued to decline from the period of high economic growth to the present, with the population declining at a rate of -48.1% over the 40-year period from 1980 to 2020, the most significant rate in Ishikawa Prefecture (*26). This depopulation is a trend seen not only in the Noto Peninsula but also in farming, mountain, and fishing villages throughout Japan, and the main cause is believed to be the mass migration of young people from rural areas to urban areas for secondary and tertiary industries as the labor force during the period of rapid economic growth (*27). In 1970, the government enacted the Law Concerning Emergency Measures for Depopulation Areas, but no drastic solution has yet been found. Okunoto and Suzu City, which were designated as areas for implementation of peninsular development measures in 1986, are recognized as areas in need of urgent measures, as are depopulated areas throughout Japan.
■Self-help, mutual aid, and public assistance” in the community
When the Kan cabinet was formed in 2020, the catchphrase “self-help, mutual aid, and public assistance” was taken up, and it was touted as essential for residents to help each other in order to sustain the lives of the people (*29). This is not a new concept. The subsidiarity principle, in which individuals are respected and on top of that, regions complement individuals and the state complements regions, was supported by the EU's “European Charter of Local Self-Government” in 1985 (*30). The subsidiarity principle in the EU aims to avoid centralization, to have diverse actors cooperate with each other, and to curb power. The subsidiarity principle in the EU is intended to help diverse actors cooperate with each other and curb power in order to avoid centralization. On the other hand, when one thinks of “self-help” and “mutual aid” in Japan, the relationship between local community-based organizations such as neighborhood associations and neighborhood councils and the government inevitably comes to mind. The history of community-based organizations is long, and it is said that in the medieval period, local management was conducted through a high degree of self-governance in the mura (*31). In recent years, neighborhood associations have been subcontracted by government departments to perform a variety of tasks (e.g., traffic safety work, trash station management, etc.), and the government offices that place the orders are not fully aware of all of the tasks (*32).
In a sense, this appears to be the government taking advantage of the “self-help” and “mutual-assistance” of the local residents for its own convenience. Is it possible that the government's irresponsible expectation of “self-help” and “mutual aid” is not hidden behind the government's response to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024? The self-governing power of the local residents that emerged in the town of Umamachi moved the government to realize a kind of “bottom-up” integration of order in the face of an imminent disaster. What to do with the community after the disaster is a matter that should be decided by the people concerned through deliberation, regardless of whether they stay in the community or move to a new location. Without looking at this reality, depopulated areas should not be dismissed as a cost (*33) and arguments such as the mass migration debate should not be easily raised in the absence of the parties concerned. It is difficult to predict when and where a major earthquake will strike, and in recent years, global warming has made large-scale flooding more serious. One way to prepare for “when the time comes” is not to take the situation of disaster-stricken areas as an isolated event, but to take it seriously as something that will happen to us someday.
That's it for now.
【References】
※1）2020, National census.
※2）Suzu City「令和3年度～令和5年度 珠洲市高齢者福祉プラン：第9次珠洲市老人福祉計画第8期珠洲市介護保険事業計画」（珠洲市 令和3年3月）, p10
※3）すず里山里海移住フロント「すっとずっと：珠洲発・暮らしのウェブマガジン」HP https://sutto-zutto.com/10area/, Browing at 2024.4.17.
※4）2020, National census.
※5）Designated in 1968. Ishikawa Prefecture HP https://www.pref.ishikawa.lg.jp/kyoiku/bunkazai/minzoku/k2-2.html, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※6）Suzu City「令和3年度～令和5年度 珠洲市高齢者福祉プラン：第9次珠洲市老人福祉計画第8期珠洲市介護保険事業計画」（珠洲市 令和3年3月）, p12
※7）About 10 settlements? The blackboard at the center read "泊・国永出・仲平山・忍久保出・赤神・中浜・鰐崎・新島・笹波・石神・高屋".
※8）Suzu City HP「水道・下水道」https://www.city.suzu.lg.jp/soshiki/5/11636.html, Browsing at 2024.4.21. At this point, the “water supply schedule” is “undecided (detailed investigation will be conducted in the future)” in the Shimizu area.
※9）空飛ぶ捜索医療団の緊急支援チームARROWS HP「【令和6年能登半島地震】誰一人、取り残さない。孤立集落に安心と笑顔を届ける」（Article in 2024.1.8）https://arrows.peace-winds.org/news/emergency/n20240108/, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※10）文春オンラインHP「地震で孤立した村で始まった予想外にハイレベルな「自給自足」生活 お祭り用の発電機でウォシュレット、山から水を引いて200人分の料理も」（Article in 2024.2.17）https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/68929, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※11）As of April 17, 2024, Uchinada Town and Hodatsushimizu Town were the only two cities that were recruiting individual disaster relief volunteers from across Japan other than prefectural volunteers.
【Sources】
・The Hodatsushimizu Town Council of Social Welfare independently began recruiting disaster relief volunteers on March 12, including those outside the neighborhood.
宝達志水町社会福祉協議会 https://hodatsushimizuvc-ishikawa.jimdofree.com/%E3%81%8A%E7%9F%A5%E3%82%89%E3%81%9B/, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
・Uchinada Town began recruiting volunteers on its own as early as January, although conditions were unclear.
内灘町社会福祉協議会HP http://uchisyakyo.jp/info/%e5%86%85%e7%81%98%e7%94%ba%e7%81%bd%e5%ae%b3%e3%83%9c%e3%83%a9%e3%83%b3%e3%83%86%e3%82%a3%e3%82%a2%e6%b4%bb%e5%8b%95%e5%8b%9f%e9%9b%86/, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
・Kaga City closed the Kaga City Disaster Volunteer Center on April 2, 2024.
加賀市社会福祉協議会HP http://www.kagavc.jp/?p=1697
・There is no evidence that a disaster volunteer center has been established in Kanazawa. There is no record of volunteers being recruited in Kanazawa, even in Ishikawa Prefecture.
令和6年(2024年)能登半島地震・石川県災害ボランティア情報HP https://prefvc-ishikawa.jimdofree.com/, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※12）令和6年(2024年)能登半島地震・石川県災害ボランティア情報HP https://prefvc-ishikawa.jimdofree.com/, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※13）Soja City, Okayama Prefecture HP「能登半島地震支援テントプロジェクト」https://www.city.soja.okayama.jp/kikikanri/kurashi/bousai/sonotabousai/volunteerbosyu.html, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※14）モンベルHP「「ボランティアキャンプすず運営協議会」からお知らせ」https://about.montbell.jp/release/disp.php?id=687, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※15）ボランティアキャンプすず運営協議会FB https://www.facebook.com/volunteercampsuzu/?locale=ja_JP, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※16）能登島地域協議会HP「【ボランティア・業者様向け】能登島の宿泊施設をマッチングします」https://notojima-chiiki.com/post-1969/, Browsing at 2024.4.25.
※17）中日新聞HP「【能登半島地震】人手不足が復旧の壁 ボランティア受け入れ まだ１万4000人」https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/878404（2024.4.3）, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※18）「能登半島地震活動報告会」（主催：NRN能登復興ネットワーク／日時：2024.4.18（木）11:00～12:30／オンライン開催）における参加者の発言より。
※19）JVOAD HP「令和6年能登半島地震」「お知らせ 2024.4.4記事」https://jvoad.jp/disaster-name/%e4%bb%a4%e5%92%8c6%e5%b9%b4%e8%83%bd%e7%99%bb%e5%8d%8a%e5%b3%b6%e5%9c%b0%e9%9c%87/?post_type=news, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※20）For example, the following points are made.
・東京新聞HP「能登半島孤立「初動遅れ」には理由があった 何度も地震があったのに「災害時の道路復旧計画」国は検討だけ」（2024.1.26記事）https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/305216
・朝日新聞HP「「初動に人災」「阪神の教訓ゼロ」能登入りした防災学者の告白」（Article in 2024.1.14）https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS1G2P91S1CUTFL01Y.html
・毎日新聞HP「五百旗頭真氏がみる能登地震の対応 「自衛隊の初動に手抜かり」」（Article in 2024.3.2）https://mainichi.jp/articles/20240301/k00/00m/040/350000c
※21）For example, the following points are made.
・ダイヤモンドオンライン HP「ひろゆきが論破された能登「集団移住論争」、石川県の人口ゼロ集落を全て回った研究者の本音は？」（Article in 2024.2.11）https://diamond.jp/articles/-/338501
・地域活性学会による【能登半島地震】災害復興に関する論点まとめ（2024.1.16から更新中）
https://chiiki-kassei-jk.com/archives/7529, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※22）防災ニッポンHP（読売新聞 Article in 2024.1.17） https://www.bosai.yomiuri.co.jp/biz/article/12508, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※23）東京新聞HP「「たまたま重機と運転できる人がそろっていた」 住民だけで道路を復旧、3日間で孤立解消 石川・穴水町」（Article in 2024.1.23）https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/304557, Browsing at 2024.4.21.
※24）時事通信社HP「被災６市町、１４００人が転出届 地震２カ月で「過疎化拍車」―石川」（Article in 2024.4.1）https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2024040101010&g=soc, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※25）Suzu City「2020（令和2）年度 珠洲市人口ビジョン（改訂版）」（p1）
※26）Ishikawa Prefecture「石川県過疎地域持続的発展方針（令和3年度～令和7年度）」令和3年7月（令和4年6月改訂）（p7-9）
※27）総務省地域力創造グループ過疎対策室「令和3年度版 過疎対策の現況 令和5年3月」（p1）
※28）令和2年度版 国土交通白書（p30）
※29）ダイヤモンド・オンラインHP「菅首相が掲げる「自助」「共助」「公助」の本当の意味」（2020.9.29）https://diamond.jp/articles/-/248616, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
※30）関谷 昇, 補完性原理と地方自治についての一考察─消極・積極二元論に伴う曖昧さの克服に向けて,『公共研究』第4巻第1号, 千葉大学公共研究センター, 2007, pp.81-109／p83とp85を参照
※31）For example, 蔵持重裕2002『中世村の歴史語り：湖国「共和国」の形成史』吉川弘文館 等
※32）沼尾史久・花立勝広「都市内分権」の論理（1）（2・完）―いかに委嘱制度は廃止されたか―」信州大学経法論集 第6号, pp.143-169, 2019.4／第7号, pp.33-103, 2019.9
※33）For example, a statement regarding costs was made at a subcommittee meeting of the Council on Fiscal Institutions on April 9, 2024, which led to an evacuation from the affected areas.
・毎日新聞HP「能登地震の復興「需要減少や維持コストも念頭」 財政審分科会」https://mainichi.jp/articles/20240409/k00/00m/040/101000c（2024.4.9）, Browsing at 2024.4.22.
・東京新聞HP「能登復興に「コスト削減」を持ち出した財務省に被災地は憤慨 そこまで節約したいなら、万博が先では？」https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/321605（2024.4.17）, Browsing at 2024.4.22.