Medical expenses for elderly residents in parts of the Noto Peninsula hit by last year’s New Year’s Day earthquake have grown to as much as 1.3 times what they cost before the disaster, underscoring the growing burden on regional health care systems a year and a half after the temblor.
As reconstruction efforts drag on in Ishikawa Prefecture, the number of people experiencing physical and mental health issues is increasing, and questions are being raised on how an effective support system can be established.
According to a prefectural union for medical care for the elderly, per-capita medical expenses for residents age 75 and older in the year ended March 2025 reached ¥998,131 ($6,933) in the city of Wajima and ¥1,012,399 in the city of Suzu — an increase of 20% and 35%, respectively, from those in fiscal 2022. In the towns of Anamizu and Noto, the costs were roughly 1.1 times of pre-quake levels.
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