Tens of thousands of people living on Japan's northeast coast are preparing to spend their third winter in temporary homes. Left homeless in March 2011, following the powerful earthquake and consequent tsunami that hit Japan, they are still waiting for the reconstruction plans to be completed. After debates and red tape that lasted for three years, the reconstruction work was in fact slowed down by the lack of skilled workers and the scarcity of materials. In Tanohata, a port town of 3.800 people, only a tenth of the homes have been completed. In the affected areas as a whole, the number of houses rebuilt is around 8 percent and only a quarter of the reconstruction project has been started.
Also holding back the reconstruction are the construction and renovation works related to the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for 2020 which are absorbing manpower and materials. But the residents of the earthquake zones are desperate: "It's very cold," comments Shio Hironai, 53, whose prefab that was his home for three years lacks insulating walls. "Even the roof is sagging."
Yesterday in Japan was the third anniversary of the natural disaster that claimed the lives of 15.884 people and left 2.636 missing. The reconstruction bill as of March 2016 was calculated at 25 trillion yen. Meanwhile, 50 Fukushima residents are still unable to return home due to possible radiation.
The priority given to large infrastructures to the detriment of private homes is leading many people to leave the affected areas and seek their fortune elsewhere.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/construction-crunch-slows-tohoku-rebuilding
