Three months have passed since July's Kumamoto earthquake, and more than 1,000 people are still living in evacuation shelters, NHK reported on Wednesday. Many others are staying in homes left damaged by the quake, with winter approaching.
Recovery in the affected areas is stretching into a long stay for displaced residents. NHK also reported that the retailer Aeon intends to reopen part of one area to business, and has told bereaved families of that plan.
The source does not specify which area Aeon plans to reopen, when it would reopen, or what it told the families.
Counting the evacuees who do not show up
Some displaced people never appear on shelter rolls. NHK reported that authorities plan to use foot-traffic data and infrared sensors to find people sleeping in cars and other so-called invisible evacuees.
NHK also featured a woman continuing to live in a naya, a storehouse or barn, after the quake.