Noto Peninsula Earthquake Victims Memorialized in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, January 4, 2026

WAJIMA, Ishikawa — A memorial ceremony for the victims of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake was held in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday, marking the second anniversary of the disaster, which struck on Jan. 1, 2024.

At the ceremony hosted by the prefecture, 337 people — including bereaved family members of people who died in torrential rains that hit the prefecture later that year — observed a moment of silence.

Subhead: Bereft son struggles with remorse

Atsuhiko Hayashi lost his mother Kimiko in the earthquake.

Kimiko, 90, died due to the collapse of Hayashi’s house in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, where he had been caring for her. While struggling with remorse over being unable to save her, Hayashi, now 64, gets through each day holding on to the memories of his mother.

Kimiko worked as a hairdresser at her home and handled virtually all dressing and hairstyling for local weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies and Shichigosan festivals, which celebrate the growth of children at ages 3, 5 and 7.

Hayashi was proud of his mother, who was beloved by local residents who called her “mother.”

Although she became bedridden about seven years ago due to dementia, Hayashi was determined to care for her at his home “until the very end.”

On Jan. 1, 2024, Hayashi had just eaten zoni soup, a traditional New Year’s dish, when he felt a strong tremor and was buried under the collapsed ceiling.

In the darkness, he could not call out to his mother, fearing that she would not answer and that he would be forced to face the fact that he could not save her. He was rescued, but Kimiko was found dead several days later.

Their ruined house was demolished, and many of her personal belongings were lost. However, a wig used for weddings was found beneath the rubble, reminding him of the people whom his mother had dressed in formal wedding attire.

“Mom always worked diligently,” he thought, brushing off the soil from the wig before carefully bringing it back home.

He thinks with regret that she could have lived longer if he had placed her in a hospital or care facility. But he also thinks she might have been happy to stay home until the very end.

“Mom.” He speaks silently to her in his heart.