As polls near, earthquake, rain-hit Japanese still in shelters

By Efe Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - One month after record-breaking downpours hit the Noto region in central Japan, hundreds of people are still living in shelters as elections draw near.​​​​​​​

The record rainfall on Sept. 21 claimed 14 lives, as the downpours dealt a double blow to many of the New Year's Day earthquake victims, when 412 died, according to NHK news.

Ishikawa Prefecture says that as of Oct. 18, a total of 434 residents were living in shelters in the cities of Wajima and Suzu, and the town of Noto.

As of Oct. 16, more than 1,000 households in Wajima and Suzu were still without running water.

The former Japanese Empress Michiko remains deeply pained for those affected by the New Year's Day earthquake on the Noto Peninsula, with her concern heightened by the heavy rains last month which caused further damage, the Imperial Household agency said.

Amid the rebuilding efforts, support for the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and other parties out of power is growing steadily against that of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ahead of the general election to be held on Oct. 27, a Kyodo News survey showed.

When asked whether Ishiba, president of the LDP, or CDPJ leader and former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda would be more suitable as the next premier, 47.2% said Ishiba, unchanged from the previous survey, while Noda narrowed the gap by 5.2 points with 29.5%.​​​​​​​