Eight months after the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake in central Japan, an increasing number of businesses in the region have resumed operations, backed by growing reconstruction demand and the return home — to temporary housing — by local residents who had been evacuated.
Still, there is a long way to go before full-scale post-disaster reconstruction, with many businesses operating for shorter hours or at makeshift facilities.
The proportion of businesses that have resumed operations stood at 61% as of mid-August, up from 40% in early June, according to a survey of 533 companies conducted by the Suzu Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the city of Suzu in Ishikawa Prefecture.
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