Editorial

14:07 JST, March 11, 2025

The affected areas, hit by an unprecedented disaster, are moving forward step by step, but they are facing difficult challenges at the same time. It is necessary to reconsider what form reconstruction should take.

It has been 14 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, which left more than 22,000 people dead or missing. A total of about ¥40 trillion in national funds has been spent on reconstruction-related projects in the affected areas, and city government offices, schools, fishing ports and public housing for disaster victims, among other infrastructure, have been constructed one after another.

The sight of new buildings standing is probably a symbol of reconstruction. However, local governments will have to shoulder a heavy burden in the future.

In Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, the annual cost of operating........

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