Takaichi Orders Measures against Heavy Snow

Tokyo, Feb. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ordered her government on Tuesday to prepare countermeasures as heavy snow is predicted over this weekend, with a general election taking place Sunday. “Stay vigilant and take all possible measures to hold the election,” Takaichi said at a meeting of related ministers. The prime minister also called on voters to carefully participate in the election while monitoring weather conditions. Referring to a recent case in which passengers were stranded at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido due to heavy snow on Jan. 25, Takaichi sought measures to prevent a recurrence, such as supporting efforts to secure alternative transportation means. She also requested that expressways and national routes be closed if necessary to prevent large-scale traffic gridlocks. At a press conference after the meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that the government plans to provide financial support for local governments struggling with snow removal, such as moving up the provision of special tax grants. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]