Ishikawa earthquake response sees growing opposition scrutiny

Despite what was largely seen as a swift response to the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the Sea of Japan coast on New Year’s Day, a week later the government is catching some flak from the opposition.

Sixteen hours into the new year on Jan. 1, the Hokuriku region was shaken by a powerful quake with its epicenter on the Noto Peninsula, a sparsely populated strip of land stretching out into the Sea of Japan.

One hour later, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reached his office and set out to discuss the initial response to the disaster. Later in the day, he raised the level of alert and established a task force to coordinate the administration’s approach.