A devastating wildfire in northeastern Japan continues to spread, burning over 2,100 hectares since last week and putting more homes at risk. The fire, raging in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, has forced residents to evacuate as it advances toward the Pacific coast.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has assured that all available firefighting resources, including Self-Defense Forces (SDF) units, are being deployed to prevent further damage to residential areas. Firefighters from across the country, supported by SDF aircraft, have been battling the flames, managing to prevent the fire from reaching homes in Ofunato on Sunday.
According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, this is Japan’s largest forest fire since the late 1980s. In response, Japan’s disaster management agency has requested additional fire departments to join the ongoing efforts, with nearly 1,700 firefighters from around 450 departments already involved in combating the blaze. Reinforcements have also been sought from Hokkaido and Yokohama.
Despite extensive aerial support, including helicopters from the SDF, the fire has continued to spread. By Sunday, nearly 1,800 hectares of land had been scorched, marking an increase of 400 hectares from the previous day.
In a ministerial meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Ishiba expressed sympathy for those affected and confirmed the deployment of an Emergency Fire Response Team along with SDF units for disaster relief. An emergency response office has been established within the Prime Minister’s crisis management center to coordinate efforts, collect critical information, and implement emergency measures in collaboration with relevant organizations.
The Prime Minister has instructed the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Minister of Defence to ensure that all necessary SDF units remain committed to firefighting operations. Authorities are also focusing on rehabilitation efforts, including providing emergency temporary housing for those whose homes were damaged by the fire. The Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba has been considering declaring the country’s biggest wildfire in decades a “severe disaster” as the blaze continued to rage for the eighth day,
