Temporary Housing

　　　The number of totally and halfway collapsed houses was over 450,000. The number of temporary housing was 48,300, far shorter than the number of households who were in need of a temporary place. People who could not move into temporary housing had to live with relatives, in private, high-rent rental housing, in public housing far away from the quake-hit areas, etc. Some had to move many times (6 or 7 times) before moving into a temporary house.
　　　The exact number of households who lost their home has not been made clear as the government did not conduct a thorough research. The officially announced number is based on the number of gas meters removed in those confused times and the number of Earthquake Damage Certificates issued to victims who applied for it.
　　　As most of the temporary housing sites were in out-of-the way suburban areas, far from the quake-hit area, many people were reluctant to move. Some tried to stay in evacuation centers near their homes. The administrative bodies, however, seemed to be determined to clear all the evacuation centers, and, as a matter of fact, threatened the evacuees to move into the remaining temporary houses saying it was the last chance to get one. Those who still refused to move into the unwanted housing were removed to a "waiting center". People there were often not allowed to use utilities on hand and had to go to other floors or outdoors.
　　　It was decided by lottery who could move into, and into what temporary housing. There was no regard to the community people had originally in each neighborhood. People were not only removed from their "dear old areas" but also had to live with strangers.
　　　The elderly and the disabled were given priority, resulting in some housing sites being occupied only by the elderly and the disabled.
　　　Many dwellers had physical problems and some had mental problems. People who tried to organize neighborhood networks to prevent serious problems from occurring often asked administrative bodies to give them minimum information about dwellers. The officials refused to do so saying they cannot violate dwellers privacy. Many of the leading figures of residents' associations which were voluntarily organized temporary housing sites had to visit all the houses on a site asking for names, ages, number of family members, medical condition, etc. in order to prepare this list, which took a lot of time and energy. A kind of community was established in most temporary housing sites, but it often ended up with people criticizing and disliking each other due probably to the fact that they were from various parts of the quake-hit area with different manners and backgrounds, and were suffering from so much stress. Many were worried about whether they would find a permanent place to live, some had to travel a long way to visit family doctors, some had lost jobs directly and indirectly due to the quake, some were lonely because they could not see relatives and friends as often as they did before because they were so far away. Alcoholism and so called "Kodoku-shi" (isolated death) were frequently reported.

Permanent Housing

　　　The government says in its reply to the list of issue that they provided 145000 housing units for the victims. However, it does not mention that many of those were provided by private sector with public subsidy.
　　　Most of those housing built by private sector were built in central areas but much too expensive for victims on low-incomes despite a rent-subsidy system provided. For those who live in disaster reconstruction public housing a better rent-subsidy system was provided according to their income. However, the time for operation of the system was limited and most of the housing was built in remote areas. Those who live on a comparatively small pension cannot expect a rise in their income and are afraid of being able to pay the rent after the system expires.

Disaster Reconstruction Public Housing

　　　Disaster reconstruction public housing is, like temporary housing, built in suburban areas. It was, again, decided by lottery who could move into and into what housing and the communities people had created in temporary housing were again dismantled. As the administrative bodies were keen to remove all the temporary housing as soon as possible to show that "reconstruction work was done", temporary housing residents were given priority for public housing over the others. Others here mean those who lived in different areas and wanted to come back, who were living in private rental housing paying high rents, who were living with relatives, etc. and feeling uncomfortable and awkward. These were regarded as "self-helped" and no longer "victims" still in need of housing.
　　　Those who lived in temporary housing and refused to move to far-away public housing, again, were vaguely threaten by officials saying "This may be the last chance to move into public housing", or "It is selfish of you not to accept the offer". Many people ended up living in a housing unit in which they did not want to live.
　　　"Kodoku-shi" (isolated death) and suicide, again, have been reported in disaster reconstruction housing. Shutting him/herself in a unit in a concrete, high-rise, condominium-style building with neither acquaintances nor familiar scenery, old people often complain of loneliness and isolation.
　　　It is not, however, due to insufficient land for housing construction in central areas that such public housing was built in isolated areas. Many private condominiums and Housing Corporation housing have been built in central areas. Activist groups and supporters repeatedly demanded that the governments take a lease on such housing units for quake-affected people who desperately want to return to their original areas or subsidize the rent for them saying that this would be much cheaper for the government than building completely new public housing in large amounts and more in tune with victims' needs and desires. The governments' answer, however, has all the time been "Impossible" without particularly giving convincing reasons. Many people, even now, still think it is a viable proposition.

People Living Outside of the Quake-hit Area

　　　People who lived in temporary housing, could at least get information about permanent housing. Others who moved outside of their original prefecture or city, had a big problem obtaining rehabilitation-related information. Nishinomiya city, one of the severely hit areas, refused to put such kind of information about temporary and permanent housing for victims in municipal official reports for citizens saying it was the concern of a limited number of citizens only. Such reports were issued regularly and were sent to evacuees outside of the city only on request. This was often the only source of information for evacuees outside of the area about reconstruction work but many did not even know there was such service.
　　　Some people chose to live temporarily in public housing units which had been vacant in a different prefecture which were introduced by the disaster administrations in disaster areas. However, once they had moved, municipal disaster bodies made little effort to inform them about the possibility of their coming back, and usually such housing units had become vacant because they were unpopular being built in inconvenient locations, etc. Many evacuees had a feeling of being left out and could not easily contact other evacuees in the same situation since they did not know who were evacuees as the administration, again, concealed such information saying it was private.
　　　The number and situation of those who evacuated to a place outside their original area is not clear as the government has never done serious research on this matter.

Reconstruction Work

　　　Much of the reconstruction work was urban planning-related projects such as urban redevelopment and land readjustment which had already existed before the quake. (These kinds of projects are usually concerned with the relocation and/or eviction of residents, or residents who are often required either to hand over a part of their land or to pay money corresponding to the price of the size of the land which should have been handed over in order to the project to construct roads and parks.) In many cases, people concerned had been against those projects. But the projects were carried forward rather rapidly after the quake under the name of "reconstruction work".
　　　Many houses in the area subjected to such plans were damaged by the quake and officials were dispatched to appraise the extent of the damage in relation to these plans moving forward. There was a period during which residents concerned could see the outline but it was so soon after the quake that people were too busy living a day to day and many were not even living in the actual areas.
　　　The administration says that those plans were discussed in each "Machidukuri-kyogikai", an organization consisting of experts, officials and citizens. However, as a matter of fact, the plan had already been drawn up by the time citizens could participate. The meeting was usually just to let citizens know the context of the plan and to "hear" what they think. Many redevelopment projects are under way against the will of those who are most concerned in the name of "public welfare".