Houses in Yamakoshi village in Niigata Prefecture remain submerged Oct. 22, a year after a landslide induced by the Chuetsu earthquake.

Yokichi Sasaki, a 75-year-old resident of Ojiya, one of the hardest-hit areas, said in an address to the gathering in Niigata city: "I quarreled with God and saw nothing but darkness ahead of me. But we have to get back on our feet and never forget what happened in the disaster." Sasaki lost his wife in the magnitude-6.8 earthquake.

About 800 people, including relatives of those who were killed, attended the ceremony organized by the prefectural and municipal governments.

"We will make every possible effort toward restoration and reconstruction so all sufferers of the disaster can regain their lives," Niigata Gov. Hirohiko Izumida said.

He pledged to provide clearer avenues for people to get back on their feet before next year's snow season.

Some 17,000 houses and buildings entirely or partially collapsed due to the quake. More than 9,000 people in 2,800 households are still living in temporary housing as the second winter since the quake is about to set in.

A recent poll of people living in shelters found that 300 among 2,100 responding households feel they have no prospects for rebuilding their homes.

"I had a hard year after losing five acquaintances in the quake," said Katsumi Yoshizawa, 70, of Ojiya, who attended the ceremony. "I have prayed for the family members of those who died and for no more quakes to occur."

The Japan Times Weekly: Oct. 29, 2005
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