TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio on Friday set out a plan to boost support for housing reconstruction in areas affected by soil liquefaction due to the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake.

The 7.6-magnitude temblor in central Japan put a lot of stress on the soil, causing it to behave like liquid in some areas. The phenomenon left many houses there damaged.

The government will establish a subsidy program to cover two-thirds of the costs of restoration work on the ground and the foundations of affected houses.

“We must proceed with reconstruction steadily so that people affected by the disaster can take a step forward to rebuild their lives in the coming fiscal year,” Kishida said.

Support for preventive measures will also be expanded. The government will raise the subsidy rate from one quarter to one half of the costs for reinforcement and other work to prevent soil liquefaction on public roads and parks next to residential land in hard-hit areas in Ishikawa, Toyama, and Niigata prefectures.

The government will also provide up to 1.2 million yen to people with inclining houses due to the soil liquefaction. Work to make houses earthquake-proof will be subsidized regardless of whether the buildings were damaged by the soil liquefaction.

JIJI Press