SAPPORO -- The government said Friday that power had been restored to more than 40 percent of the about 2.95 million households that were hit by blackouts in Hokkaido after a powerful earthquake on the previous day.
The blackouts had affected nearly all of Hokkaido's households, but as of 10 a.m., power had been restored to about 1.4 million of them. The earthquake, which was centered in the Iburi region in southwestern Hokkaido, recorded the highest level of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, causing the massive power outage.
At New Chitose Airport, which had been closed, domestic flights resumed Friday morning. The Hokkaido Shinkansen line resumed operation in the afternoon.
According to the government, the death toll from the earthquake rose to 16. The Hokkaido prefectural government said 25 people remained unaccounted for in Atsuma, where the quake triggered mudslides.
As heavy rain was forecast for Hokkaido beginning Friday afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency has called for caution against landslides.
According to the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, among Hokkaido Electric Power Co.'s thermal power plants that suspended operations due to the earthquake, the Nos. 3 and 4 units at the Sunagawa plant, the Nos. 1 and 2 units at the Naie plant and the No. 1 unit at the Shiriuchi plant had resumed their operations as of 9:30 a.m. A total of 1.89 million kilowatts of electricity, including power from utilities in Honshu, has been secured.
However, it is expected to take some time before the restart of the major Tomato-Atsuma thermal power plant. Without it, the power supply will fall short of Hokkaido's needs by about 3.8 million kilowatts.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said Friday that the number of households without power was expected to fall to 550,000 on the same day. But he added, "It would take at least a week or so" for full restoration. The government is calling for electricity-saving measures.
At New Chitose Airport, a domestic flight from Narita Airport arrived Friday morning after the airport's power supply was restored. The operation of the Hokkaido Shinkansen line, which runs between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, also resumed shortly after 12:30 p.m. The Sapporo Municipal Subway resumed services Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the death toll has increased. The government said the earthquake killed 12 people in Atsuma, a town close to the quake's focus, while one person each was killed in Mukawa, Shinhidaka, Sapporo and Tomakomai. According to the Hokkaido prefectural government, the number of people injured in the quake rose to 359, of whom two were seriously injured. Twenty-eight structures were destroyed, and 7,339 people were staying at evacuation centers.
The government held a meeting of relevant ministers at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday morning. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: "Twenty-two thousand people have been on around-the-clock rescue operations. We'll continue to do our utmost to save lives."
According to the meteorological agency, the number of aftershocks reached 100 in Hokkaido as of Friday noon. There were three earthquakes measuring intensity 3 early Friday morning.
In Hokkaido, up to 25 millimeters of rain was expected to fall per hour from Friday noon to early Saturday morning. The agency has urged caution such as by calling on people not to approach the foot of mountains that could be hit by landslides.
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