The magnitude-7.6 earthquake that hit central Japan on New Year's Day has left 238 dead and 19 others still unaccounted for, and more than 14,000 people remain evacuated one month on.
While local authorities continue efforts to secure temporary housing for evacuees and volunteer work has been expanding to help with reconstruction, life in the affected areas is still far from returning to normalcy.
Here are photos of some of the hardest-hit areas as documented by Kyodo News reporters and photographers over the past month:
Jan. 1 / Jan. 26
Wajima Junior High School in Wajima, where many people evacuated to immediately after the quake, with snow now covering the large cracks the quake made in the ground.
Jan. 1 / Jan. 30
JR Kanazawa Station, which is back to normal operations and is seeing a return of foreign visitors.
Jan. 2 / Jan. 30
A seven-story building in Wajima that toppled sideways in the quake, crushing a house next door.
Jan. 2 / Jan. 29
The gutted Wajima Asaichi, a morning marketplace that was a famous tourist spot in Wajima.
(Photos taken from Kyodo News aircraft)
Jan. 3 / Jan. 25
A damaged building in Suzu, with a car remaining stuck in the place where it was dumped by a tsunami.
Jan. 4 / Jan. 30
A street in Suzu, where debris from collapsed houses has been partially cleared away to let traffic through.
Jan. 9 / Jan. 26
An elementary school in Suzu, which continues to serve as an evacuation shelter, leaving only some classrooms available for classes even after lessons resumed.
June 2017 / Jan. 29, 2024
The Kuroshima fishing port in Wajima, where the seabed is exposed after being elevated by the quake.
(Top: Photo courtesy of the 9th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters / Bottom: Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter)
More stories on the earthquake:
Over 14,000 people remain evacuated 1 month after central Japan quake
FEATURE:Support helps lift spirits of foreigners in quake-hit central Japan
Noto locals pin hopes on return of tourists to hasten quake recovery
