Japan govt mulls more support for quake-affected areas with 72-hr window closing

TOKYO: The Japanese government is planning to step up aid for affected areas after the devastating New Year's Day quakes left at least 82 dead and 80 unaccounted for with the critical 72-hour window closing on Thursday.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged officials to mobilize all available resources to maximise life-saving efforts and lifeline supply within the first 72 hours of the disaster at a meeting of the emergency disaster response headquarters on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to experts, the first 72 hours after earthquakes are especially critical for rescues because the prospects for survival greatly diminish after that.

"By this evening, marking the passage of 72 hours since the disaster, I urge everyone on the ground to work with full dedication to save as many lives as possible," he said.

Stressing a "push-type support" in which the government will send necessary supplies ahead of local requests, Kishida also indicated the government's intention of approving during a cabinet meeting scheduled on January 9 a supplementary budget of around 40 billion yen ($278.7 million), nearly doubling the allocated amount of 23 billion yen for the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.

In a separate occasion on Thursday, Yoshifumi Matsumura, the minister in charge of disaster management, told the press that the "push-type support" has been expanded to cover 12 cities and towns in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Previously, such support initiative was implemented only in severely affected cities and towns of Wajima, Suzu, Anamizu and Noto, and items such as blankets, portable toilets, generators, sanitary products and powdered milk have already begun to arrive, Kyodo reported citing the Cabinet Office.

He also appealed to the public to restrain the use of private vehicles as much as possible, as severe congestion in the transportation routes for relief supplies has hindered rescue efforts.

With time running out to find survivors before the 72-hour window closes, many were still believed to be trapped under rubble in the hard-hit coastal city of Wajima, where 48 deaths have been confirmed so far.

Earlier on Thursday, in response to the prolonged evacuation for victims of the quakes, it was announced that the number of Self-Defense Force personnel will be doubled from approximately 2,000 to 4,600 to enhance support in evacuation centers.

A series of strong earthquakes, with a major one of 7.6 magnitude, on Monday struck at a shallow depth in the Noto region of Ishikawa.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has officially named it the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

Centered around 30 km east-northeast of Wajima, the devastating quake registered a maximum intensity of 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, which would make it impossible for people to stand.