Bereaved families and others on Sunday prayed for those killed due to heavy rains in Kumamoto Prefecture four years ago.
Twenty people attended a memorial ceremony in the city of Hitoyoshi to mourn victims of the rain disaster that left 67 dead and two others missing.
At the ceremony, Hitoyoshi Mayor Hayato Matsuoka said many people are still forced to live in temporary housing, and vowed to work toward reconstruction "as soon as possible."
Kiyoto Maruo, 75, who was head of a local fire company at the time, said, "I am committed to preserving the lessons from the disaster and contributing to the reconstruction of Hitoyoshi."
Meanwhile, Naomi Nishimura, 56, who lost her parents in the disaster, said after the ceremony that "even after four years, my sorrow remains unchanged."
In Hitoyoshi, 21 people died due to the disaster that occurred on July 4, 2020. Across Kumamoto, 424 people from 224 households were receiving reconstruction support, including living in temporary housing, as of the end of May, according to the prefectural government.