Local News

Eight years ago, the national government specified about 100,000 locations in the seven Kyushu prefectures where there was a danger of landslide damage, and recommended that work be done to correct the problems. A recent survey by the Nishinippon Shimbun found that in those eight years, only 14% of those have been designated as dangerous by the local prefectures compared to a national average of 26%. Kagoshima Prefecture had the highest rate of designation at 52.0%, while Fukuoka Prefecture had one of the lowest at 2.6%. Oita Prefecture, which was the site of numerous fatalities due to landslides caused by the recent heavy rains, had the lowest rate of designation at 2.0%.