🚰 Kumamoto Quake Water Pipe Repair Hotline

❓ What's changing?

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) is opening a dedicated phone desk, the "2026 Kumamoto Earthquake In-Home Water Pipe Repair Call Center," in response to surging demand for in-home water pipe repairs in the quake-hit area. It runs from August 26 to December 28, 2026 (planned), taking calls from 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, weekends and public holidays alike, at the toll-free number 0120-275-557. It covers water users in Yatsushiro City, Uki City and the Yatsushiro Living Environment Affairs Association (Hikawa Town and part of Yatsushiro City); well repairs are not covered. When an earthquake damages your water supply, the piping running inside the property to your taps counts as the user's own equipment, and repairs must be ordered from a "designated water supply installation contractor" — a firm the municipal water utility has certified under Article 16-2(1) of the Water Supply Act. Until now victims had to find such a contractor themselves, and with requests concentrated in one area some could not find anyone. The new desk answers those calls with information on contractors that can take the work. The government does not carry out the repairs itself; its role is to provide contractor information.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Water users in Yatsushiro City, Uki City and the Yatsushiro Living Environment Affairs Association area (Hikawa Town and part of Yatsushiro City) whose in-home piping was damaged by the earthquake
• ●Victims who still have leaks or no running water but cannot find a contractor to take the repair job
• ●Foreign residents who own a home in the covered area (renters should contact their landlord or management company first)
• ●People on well water are not covered — the call center does not handle well repairs

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

For foreign residents in the disaster area, getting water running again is the first step back to normal life. But in-home pipe repairs are the resident's own responsibility, and negotiating by phone in Japanese or reading a Japanese estimate is a real barrier. The new call center gives you, free of charge, the names of designated contractors that can still take work — cutting out the hardest part of the search. Note the limits: it covers only water users in Yatsushiro City, Uki City and the Yatsushiro Living Environment Affairs Association area (Hikawa Town and part of Yatsushiro), and well repairs are excluded. If you rent, contact your landlord or management company first. The center only supplies contractor information; the contract and the cost are settled between you and the contractor. No multilingual service has been announced, so if you are unsure about Japanese, ask a Japanese-speaking friend or your city's consultation desk to sit in or interpret.