The year 2024 opened with tragic events that reminded us of Japan’s vulnerability and resilience. The Noto earthquake showed that Japan is an earthquake-prone country where rural areas with rapidly aging populations can be easily disconnected. The collision at Haneda Airport was a warning that we need to stay vigilant while traveling. The professionalism of the airline staff and the civility of the Japanese public should be praised, but the events showed accidents cannot be avoided entirely.

The disasters are wake-up calls, forcing us to confront the tough challenges that have lurked below the surface. We avert our eyes away from our demographic challenges, aging infrastructure, and unexpected disasters. Yet we must confront these challenges head on. Japan stands on the front line, as The Economist wrote, and the disasters of the new year made the challenges apparent and urgent.

First, Japan’s demographic challenges, depopulation, and aging are happening rapidly and at an unequal pace. In two of the areas hit hardest by the earthquake — Suzu City, and Noto City — more than half of the population is over the age of 65. While the Noto and Suzu are aging more rapidly than other regions, the same is happening nationwide: As of 2022, 29% of Japan’s population is over 65. We are reminded that supporting the elderly in remote areas could be challenging, even without an earthquake like this.

Second, people are not the only ones aging: By 2040, more than 75% of roads and bridges will have passed its 50-year mark. The roads in Noto were not necessarily old, but the damage was far more extensive than initial news reports. The geography of the Noto Peninsula makes a recovery difficult, given its mountainous terrain and many choke points. But in the wake of the disaster, we need to remember the Japanese archipelago itself is also mountainous and full of chokepoints and that forces of nature can easily destroy even the most sophisticated infrastructure.

Third, even with extensive preparations, disasters happen unexpectedly, and the damage can be far worse than predicted. The extent of human casualties and physical destruction in the wider Noto area is far worse than most people expected, and the number of missing persons is increasing as of today. We have been preparing for a “big one” to hit Tokyo for decades yet must remember that what happens may not fit the scenario we imagined.

While finding a silver lining following a disaster is tough, there are some signs of positive developments since the 2011 earthquake. Many volunteers rushed to the scene. While some were criticized as attention-seeking or opportunistic, obstructing the recovery effort, goodwill should not be discounted or discouraged. Instead, it should be guided to other forms of support: we are already seeing various donation drives from organizations

It is also worthwhile to highlight the speed at which firefighters and DMAT teams from all over Japan and private companies have provided food and supplies. The public expects the Self-Defense Forces to come to the rescue in all disasters, and the spotlight tends to focus on how many SDF personnel are visibly on the scene. But the ongoing relief efforts have shown that the SDF does what only the Self-Defense Forces can do. We should note that efforts by other actors and organizations, and coordination that is taking place on the ground that we do not see is just as critical.

Finally, we once again witnessed a solid sense of community in these hard-hit areas. At the same time, the challenges of those who are especially vulnerable in disaster situations, such as those with special needs, have received more attention, and efforts have been made to raise awareness of these challenges. While doing what we can do to support the ongoing relief efforts, we should take the opportunity to think about our own community, and what we can do to prepare well. There is a tendency to equate perseverance with resilience, and not consider the diverse needs that would emerge in an emergency. Perhaps we should start by recalling what we noticed in 2011: that we should get to know our neighbors better.

What happened in Noto is not just about Noto or earthquakes. We should do what we can to support the recovery efforts and, at the same time, take the opportunity to think about the challenges we face in Japan.