Some municipalities in northeastern Japan are ending the storage of personal items — such as photographs, school bags, and cell phones — that were collected after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 and have yet to be returned to their owners.
Of the 37 coastal municipalities in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures that were hit hardest by the disaster, 11 have already stopped holding such items, while six others have never stored them, a Jiji Press survey found.
Among the 11 municipalities, the Fukushima town of Namie closed its exhibition of such personal items in March 2021, citing related costs and a decline in the number of items returned to owners.
The remaining 20 municipalities continue storing the personal items, but the Fukushima city of Iwaki, among them, has decided to discontinue the practice. A city official said that the number of people coming to collect their belongings is decreasing, reflecting the changing attitudes of the people affected by the disaster.
The Iwate city of Kamaishi is also considering ending its storage of such items at the end of March 2026.
When asked what is needed to continue storing collected personal items, 16 municipalities cited the need for storage and display space, while 10 mentioned budget constraints.
Nine municipalities expressed the desire to continue storing the items, with the town of Otsuchi in Iwate stating that the project is "necessary, in part, to prevent the disaster from being forgotten."
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