Family Taken by Earthquake... Man Who Lost Wife and Four Children

Japan Ishikawa Prefecture Earthquake Claims 10 Family Members

On the 1st of this month (local time), a devastating earthquake struck Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, and the story of a family head who survived alone after his wife and children went missing has drawn sympathy.

The protagonist of the story is Naoyuki Teramoto (52). On the 7th, the Mainichi Shimbun focused on Teramoto, who lost his family in the earthquake and survived alone. Every year, Teramoto and his family gathered at his wife's parents' home in Anamizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, to celebrate the New Year. However, this year, he had to work from the first day of the New Year and sent his wife and children ahead to her parents' home.

Naoyuki Teramoto [Photo by NHK]

Immediately after the earthquake, Teramoto tried to call his family at his in-laws' home but could not reach them. Later, he spotted a familiar red roof on a news broadcast reporting the disaster. It was his in-laws' house. Unfortunately, the house shown in the broadcast had already collapsed.

Teramoto wanted to rush to where his family was, but the road toward Anamizu Town was severed due to the earthquake. The road was restored on the 5th, and only then was he able to reach the location where his family had been. He is now waiting for the results of the rescue operations.

Teramoto lost a total of 10 family members in this earthquake: his wife, four children, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and three relatives. As time passes, hope grows dimmer. His third son was found on the 5th, and his father-in-law and mother-in-law were found around the same time, but they were already deceased.

Teramoto told the media, "I heard that all the family members found were close to each other, so I believe they spent happy times together until the end," and added, "I hope everyone is found, even if just one day sooner." He is still at the rescue site. Ishikawa Prefecture announced that by the 7th, five more bodies had been discovered at the site.

Teramoto expressed his anguish, saying, "Why did I have to go through this? If I had been with my family, I probably wouldn't be alive now," and "It is painful that someone who was naturally there suddenly disappeared the next day."