Winter for Akira Tsumura was a time for rolling over icy seas in pursuit of lobster and seaweed. Tsumura is one of nearly 4,000 people forced by the reawakening of a volcano last summer to evacuate Miyake Island, once a lush haven for rare birds and mountain herbs, and a popular destination for divers and sport fishermen. Six months later, it remains a no-man's land. The volcano is still spewing ash and smoke, and no one knows when the islanders will be able to go home. Government aid is running low.
Lives are on hold.
The fate of the Miyake islanders, most of whom are in Tokyo shelters, is in many ways a test of how much Japan has learned from the criticism that followed botched relief efforts after the devastating 1995 earthquake in Kobe, western Japan. Not only did a late response to the quake by both local and central government officials contribute heavily to the death toll of 6,400, but those left homeless languished in shelters for years afterward with little help to rebuild their lives. It is a lesson Japan cannot afford to ignore. Japan is dotted with active volcanoes and gridded with fault lines that make it one of the most disaster-prone places in the world. Last year, two eruptions caused mass evacuations, and a quake in southwest Japan damaged thousands of homes.