Pre-register disaster NPOs
In the Noto Earthquake, volunteers who went to Noto for disaster relief were not accepted at the local level, and the governor announced that volunteers should refrain from coming. This was because the local governments were not prepared to receive volunteers. They had not anticipated such a large-scale earthquake. The government plans for everything based on normal times. There is no surplus of personnel to take action beyond that. Even regular disaster prevention training is done at the administrative unit level, but in reality, cooperation across large areas is not possible. If the municipalities do not unite, the prefecture should take leadership. If coordination is needed across prefectures, the national government should issue directives. However, in reality, it seems this is not happening. Municipalities try to manage volunteers, but at the same time, they seem to be avoiding responsibility. But even municipal staff, local construction companies, hotels, and inns that should be relied on are all victims themselves. Additionally, local governments want to use their own local companies to carry out budgets. This causes delays. Reconstruction seems to take an unnecessarily long time and progresses very slowly. This is a fundamental problem with Japan’s administration and politics. However, the government has finally acknowledged the role of volunteers. But this will only happen starting next year. Unless it becomes law, the administration will not act. For this reason, political leadership is required, but this issue is not being discussed. I had hoped this would be a major issue in the governor’s election, but it did not turn out that way. In the end, it’s the fault of the citizens. Even though the lives of the citizens are at stake.
Noto Earthquake 323rd Day – Blood Sugar 207
Midnight rice soup, yogurt, and thin-skin manju
Koyama Group Representative, Thunderbird Representative, Vice President of Health Station
Still sleepy, Yasunari Koyama