Ceremonies Held to Mourn Victims in Northern Kyushu Deluge

July 6, 2018

Asakura/Toho, Fukuoka Pref.- Ceremonies were held on Thursday to mourn the victims of torrential rain and flooding that hit northern areas of the Kyushu southwestern Japan region a year ago.

Victims' families and other people attended the ceremonies, held in the city of Asakura and the village of Toho, the hardest hit municipalities in Fukuoka Prefecture. The disaster killed 40 people, including one who died due to an indirect cause, in Fukuoka and neighboring Oita Prefecture, with two still unaccounted for in Asakura.

Over 1,100 people are still living in shelters, including makeshift facilities, in the two prefectures.

A total of 400 people offered a one-minute silent prayer at a municipal facility in Asakura at 10:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. GMT).

"I've told my daughter since she was a child, 'I'll protect you no matter what happens.' But I couldn't," Hiroshi Fuchigami, the representative of the victims' families, said at the ceremony.

Fuchigami, who lost his wife, daughter and grandchild in the disaster, also said that he "can't stop crying" when he remembers them.

"The scars (of the disaster) remain deep, and many people are still forced to live as evacuees," said Asakura Mayor Yuji Hayashi, who has taken over the reconstruction mission from his ailing predecessor. "We'll do all we can to recover Asakura, our hometown."

A silent tribute was also offered at a ceremony held in Toho, where three people were killed. In the ceremony, a choir to which disaster victim Minako Kumagae belonged sang a song she liked. She died at age 66.

In Ishizume, a hamlet in Asakura's Hakimasue district, some 50 people, including local residents, joined their hands in prayer.

"Deceased family members taught me the importance of being alive," Tsunehiko Moriyama, 62, said calmly. His mother, older brother and the brother's wife fell prey to the disaster.

"I must get on with my life," Moriyama added.

On July 5 last year, record-breaking heavy rain caused some of the rivers in northern Kyushu to flood, with landslides and driftwood causing severe damage in the areas. Jiji Press