Tokyo –  NHK World TV will mark a half year since the Kumamoto Earthquake in April with news reports and programs that focus on the affected areas and other parts of Kyushu, southern Japan. We will bring the latest situation of the region, the reconstruction process and forward-looking efforts of residents.

The programming is grouped under the title Kyushu: Waiting for You. Japan Railway Journal and other shows will feature the area along with reports produced by the NHK’s Kumamoto and Oita stations.

The magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on April 14 severely damaged the railways of the Kyushu region. Japan Railway Journal Railways Back on Track: Six Months after the Kumamoto Earthquake examines the challenges they face and their efforts to restore services. In We’ll keep living in Aso: A Prayer for recovery after the earthquake it shows how residents resolved to hold their annual festival at the local Shinto shrine hard hit by the earthquake. Yufuin: No Quake will defeat us shows how the residents of the town of Yufuin, Oita Prefecture, one of Japan’s top hot spring resorts, affected by this year’s Kumamoto look to the future over a summer of rebuilding.

In NHK Newsline Newsroom Tokyo, there will be coverage of the latest information about recovery efforts in the region along with trends relating to the economy and industry of Kyushu. Northern Kyushu, for example, has a long history of international exchange of culture and trade. Reports from there will focus on initiatives to create even closer ties with other Asian countries. New approaches to farming and other initiatives will also be featured, in partnership with local stations.