Disaster-Prone Japan Faces Infrastructure Crisis

The remote Japanese city of Suzu was already struggling to maintain its aging infrastructure when a massive earthquake hit on New Year’s Day in 2024. Thousands of buildings collapsed; two years later, many roads remain damaged, and a critical bridge that had long been a lifeline for residents will take years to rebuild.

Suzu’s slow recovery reflects a nationwide challenge facing Japan as it grapples with increasingly severe natural disasters. Crumbling roads, bridges and utilities can bring on other costly damage — leaky water pipes, for example, have generated more than 22,000 sinkholes in recent years. Chronic funding and labor shortages, due in part to a shrinking population, have made it especially hard for regional communities to recover. Read more from Erica Yokoyama today on CityLab: Sinkholes and Quake-Hit Roads Expose Japan’s Infrastructure Emergency