Airport Noto renamed Pokémon, but reconstruction languishes

The airport on the peninsula hit by the 2024 earthquake has been renamed “Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport” in an attempt to boost tourism. The new name will remain in place for three years. Meanwhile, more than 17,000 people still live in temporary housing, as the resident population continues to decline. Two thirds of the displaced believe reconstruction has made little or no progress.

Tokyo (AsiaNews) – At the entrance to Noto’s new airport, a giant Pikachu aboard a plane-shaped balloon welcomes tourists, while other characters from the famous Japanese anime decorate the terminal walls.

Starting today, the airport will be temporarily renamed Noto Satoyama Pokémon With You Airport, an initiative by the Pokémon With You Foundation; the goal is to attract new visitors two and a half years after an earthquake struck the region on New Year's Eve.

The peninsula has not yet recovered from the 7.6-magnitude quake, one of the worst natural disasters in Japan's recent history.

The official death toll now stands at 700, but about 450 people did not die from the quake or tsunami, but from deteriorating health, prolonged displacement, and related stress in the weeks and months that followed the quake.

According to an analysis of disaster-related deaths by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, about one death in three involved people who had been displaced far from their homes or the healthcare facility where they lived.

Many elderly people, in particular, were relocated because hospitals and nursing homes were unusable or overcrowded. While this eased the pressure on local facilities, it also contributed to worsening the physical and psychological conditions of already very fragile people.

The community itself still needs to be rebuilt. According to Japanese government data, more than 17,000 people in Ishikawa Prefecture still live in temporary housing or in accommodations rented by local governments.

Across the entire earthquake area, more than 165,000 homes were damaged, 70 per cent in Ishikawa Prefecture. Reconstruction projects are slow due to rising material costs and labour shortages, which have slowed both land surveys and the start of construction.

Meanwhile, the population continues to decline. According to prefectural estimates, the Oku-Noto region, the hardest hit by the earthquake, lost over 13 per cent of its inhabitants in two years, after many families decided to mov.

A survey conducted by NHK in conjunction with the University of Tokyo sought to capture the sentiments of the population two years later. Sixty-seven per cent of displaced people still living in temporary housing believe that reconstruction has made little or no progress.

The primary concerns remain housing, followed by the difficulties of daily life, access to healthcare services, and job loss.

Scholars also highlight another aspect: loneliness. Many elderly people, forced to leave their villages, have lost their social networks. Some report spending entire days without speaking to anyone.

For sociologist Naoya Sekiya of the University of Tokyo, physical reconstruction will not be enough if the bonds of the affected communities are also not rebuilt.

The Pokémon-themed airport is thus an attempt to address all these difficulties.

Before the disaster, tourism was one of the main economic activities in the Noto Peninsula, but despite continued record visitor numbers across the country, traveller numbers have not yet returned to pre-earthquake levels in the affected area.

According to NHK, last February the number of overnight stays in the region was still 70 per cent lower than in 2023. For the next three years, the airport's new name and Pikachu as its mascot will accompany travellers, in order to put the spotlight on the region.

• japan
• noto peninsula
• pokemon
• airport
• earthquake
• reconstruction