Among those affected by the series of quakes that hit Miyagi Prefecture on Saturday were many elderly residents of rural farming communities, many of whom live alone in sparsely populated areas.
The towns in northern Miyagi where the damage from Saturday's quakes was severest are mainly farming communities, with one-fourth of local residents aged 65 or older.
Toshiko Suzuki, 75, has lived alone in her house in Nango since her husband died 11 years ago. She has no children.
Suzuki has no proximate neighbors upon whom she can rely, and the weekend quakes forced her to evacuate to a local elementary school.