A man who lost his wife and child in the 2024 New Year's Day Noto Peninsula earthquake, which toppled a seven-story building and crushed his home and store next door, filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court on the 5th, demanding approximately 215 million yen in damages from the government and the corporation that owns the building.
The person who filed the lawsuit was Kenji Kusunoki (58), who ran the izakaya ``Wajimanma'' in the center of Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The earthquake struck while his family of five, including himself, were at home, killing his wife Yukari (48 at the time) and eldest daughter Jura (19 at the time).
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's expert committee released a report on the cause of the building collapse in December last year. Although there are many unknowns, it is assumed that the head of the pile that was driven into the ground broke due to the shaking of the earthquake, and that the ground was weak, leading to the collapse. It is said to be the first time in Japan that a building with piles has collapsed due to an earthquake.
The building was completed in 1975, before the seismic design of piles became mandatory in 2001, and it is estimated that the earthquake resistance of the piles was insufficient. The report also stated that it appears that the head of the pile was not connected to the reinforced concrete that transfers the building's loads to the pile.
According to the lawsuit, Kusunoki's team, based on the report, claims that the collapsed building had defects such as the force tending to concentrate on certain piles and the lack of reinforcing bars connecting the piles and the foundation. It was said that the vehicle was not safe and that the owner was at fault.
Furthermore, he pointed out to the government that the government knew about the weaknesses of old piles after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995. They claim that they assumed that a major earthquake would occur in 2014 on an active fault off the coast of Noto, but ignored Wajima City's low earthquake resistance rate.
In addition, the government was criticized for limiting the scope of buildings required to undergo seismic retrofitting under the Earthquake Retrofitting Promotion Law to large buildings, and that this building was excluded from the scope. The lawsuit alleges that the building would not have collapsed had proper standards been in place, and that there was unlawful omission.
Kusunoki's attorney, Akihiro Shima, said at a press conference, ``There were many things the government could have done before this collapse happened.Through the trial, I would like to question the country's awareness of disaster prevention and its attitude toward the lives of its citizens.''
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism declined to comment, and the corporation that owns the building said, ``We are unable to comment as the person in charge is not available.''
Mr. Kusunoki, who filed the lawsuit, was thrown to the ground along with his family immediately after the earthquake. In an effort to rescue the two people who were trapped under the building, he reportedly crawled under the rubble and pulled himself out several times. I tried using a saw and a jack, but to no avail. Even now, at night, I can still see the faces of my wife and eldest daughter in the rubble. He says he feels frustrated because he was powerless against the building that crushed them both.
About five months after the earthquake, he opened a pub with the same name, Wajimanma, in Kawasaki City, where he met his wife. ``Japan is a country prone to earthquakes.If an old building collapsed in a place like this, there would be many more casualties,'' he said.
At the press conference, he said, ``No one can stop earthquakes. Only humans can prevent buildings from collapsing,'' and appealed, ``I don't want other people to feel the same way.'' The building has been demolished and is now a vacant lot. ``I don't want people to forget that these two people died,'' he said.
