As of January 3rd, the number of casualties from the earthquakes that shook the Noto Peninsula and adjacent areas in central Japan during the New Year has increased to at least 73 people, reports Kyodo. The powerful earthquake in the Noto Peninsula region, with a magnitude of 7.6, occurred on the night of January 1st, causing significant structural damage and fires in the city of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture on the coast of the Sea of Japan. However, the full extent of the disaster remains unknown. Rescue operations The Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) had planned to use helicopters to deliver…