Six months after the Noto Peninsula earthquake on New Year's Day, many evacuation shelters continue to use portable squat toilets, causing significant stress for elderly evacuees who struggle with the knee strength needed to use them.
Reports of health deterioration among evacuees due to this discomfort are beginning to emerge.
Despite recommendations from the land ministry for Western-style toilet seats to be installed, a survey by a nonprofit organization found that 85% of the toilets in shelters in the cities of Wajima and Nanao in Ishikawa Prefecture — some of the areas worst hit by the quake — were squat toilets.