8 months passed since the March disaster

It's been 8 months since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. But there's still a long way to go before full-fledged reconstruction is possible.

Police say 19,488 people have been confirmed dead or remain missing as of November 10th.

The number of those confirmed dead is 9,501 in Miyagi Prefecture, 4,665 in Iwate Prefecture, and 1,604 in Fukushima Prefecture. 1,995 people remain missing in Miyagi, 1,427 people in Iwate, and 226 in Fukushima.

Reconstruction plans for the disaster-hit areas have been drawn up in 8 municipalities in Iwate, and 7 in Miyagi.

The government's newly established rebuilding subsidies and other funds will shoulder all costs for relocation of residents to higher ground or inland regions.

But the locals will need more time to form a consensus on the mass relocations and reconstruction projects.

Also, no criterion has been set to assess the value of flooded land the government will purchase from owners.

Friday, November 11, 2011 08:21 +0900 (JST)